Trapped Reality
by Starian NightZz
Summary: After the fiasco at the championship league, Kuroko Tamaki almost became addicted to gaming. Until Sword Art Online became a death game, and she then found a familiar face in the game itself – Ogiwara Shigehiro himself. Meanwhile on the other side, Seirin is going through Hell, knowing that there isn't anything that they could do to help. Ogiwara/Fem!Kuroko
1. Link Start

_Summary:_

_After the fiasco at the championship league, Kuroko Tamaki almost became addicted to gaming to take her away from reality for a few hours. Until Sword Art Online became a death game, and she then found a familiar face in the game itself – Ogiwara Shigehiro himself. Meanwhile on the other side, Seirin is going through Hell, knowing that there isn't anything that they could do to help. Ogiwara/Fem!Kuroko_

I've been meaning to come up with a story like this for some time now, but just can't get enough inspiration for it, thus my brainstorming for nearly an entire year! Anyway, the Sword Art Online MMPORG in this story will also have elements borrowed from Log Horizon and several other MMPORGs that I've played in the past—mostly the classes and techniques and maybe even locations. And while I know that the anime Sword Art Online only have sword classes, thus the name of the game, I will have a few other classes in the game in _my_ story that aren't wholly dependant on swords.

**Pairings:** Shigehiro/Tamaki

**Warnings:** AU Universe. OOC. Gender swap. Minor character bashing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basuke and Sword Art Online and any of the characters, but the OC characters belongs to me

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One: Link Start<strong>

Kuroko Tamaki first started getting into gaming as a child when she'd gotten to know Ogiwara Shigehiro.

The orange haired cheerful boy had been the only true friend that Tamaki and her cousin have at that age. Basketball had been the first thing that had linked them together. And as Tamaki's parents were almost never around, and Akashi Seijuro tends to avoid going home for as long as he could due to his father, Shigehiro had often invited the pair over to his home.

Shigehiro's parents have been college friends of their parents, and they have adored the two children. Thus, the three children often have sleepovers over at the Ogiwara residence. During the school holidays when they are not playing basketball, the three children could often be found at the Ogiwara residence playing some game on one of Shigehiro's gaming consoles.

Even still, Tamaki isn't what one would call a hardcore gamer. Sure, she loves gaming as much as her childhood friend did, since it actually helps to take her mind away from her lonely existence after Shigehiro had moved away and her parents have passed away during her middle school years.

Her addiction to gaming only begun during her third year at Teiko Middle School when everything started spiralling to Hell, and her friends started turning into the monsters that they are. It only got worse after the fiasco at the championship league, and when Tamaki isn't reading or studying, she is spending nearly every single waking hour that isn't spent on sleeping and eating on gaming.

Then she entered high school and joined the basketball club, gaining a new circle of friends that didn't and _wouldn't_ abandon her. Even as gruff as Kagami acts, the guy is a softy when it comes to Tamaki, always making sure to look out for her. Hell, the entire team as a whole tries to look out for her. When asked, Kagami would reply that Tamaki had that look in her eyes that reminds him of cracked glass.

The redhead didn't like it, and did what he could to take the look away from Tamaki's eyes.

Koganei Shinji and Izuki Shun were amongst two of the seniors that got along like a house on fire with Tamaki, due to their love for gaming. After practice, whenever the team gets together at Maji Burger's for dinner, it is to find the three teens chatting about nearly every single game and console in existence, much to their teammates' amusement.

After their Inter High match with Shutoku High, somehow or other, Takao Kazunari had found out about Tamaki's love for gaming, and have exchanged contact information with the petite teal haired girl. After that, the two tend to spend several long hours having conversations about games via online chat and even text messages.

It had also been Koganei who had told Tamaki about the NerveGear – the newest and most high tech console that there ever was to exist, and even the new VMMPORG that had just been announced.

The cat-like senior had came to practice one day, excited, and waving about a gaming magazine that he had given to Tamaki, telling her and anyone who would listen about the announcement of the new game developed by the company that had also developed the gaming system designed to give a player the ultimate gaming experience ever.

The NerveGear was released about six months ago, and is like a giant helmet with an internal battery. It sent signals to the player's brain so that their mind is engulfed into the virtual world—so that they are literally 'in' the virtual world itself.

Takao had contacted Tamaki the very same night when Koganei had told her about the new game, Sword Art Online. Apparently, the company is seeking some beta testers to test out the functions of the game, and to suggest further improvements to the game itself so that the company could improve the game to produce the ultimate game for gaming fanatics.

Tamaki found herself dragged off to the game company in central Tokyo the next day by an excited Takao who had appeared on her doorstep bright and early in the morning. And before she even knew what is going on, both teens have left the company building with a copy of Sword Art Online in their hands—being one of the one thousand beta testers privileged to play the game before it could even hit the shelves.

Koganei was almost drooling in envy when he'd heard that Tamaki was accepted as a beta tester by the game company, and was pestering Tamaki to the point of annoyance for details after each practice every single day after that, much to the amusement of the entire team. While Kagami isn't such a hardcore gamer like Tamaki and Koganei, he does do some gaming occasionally and couldn't help but be excited as well when Tamaki had told them about the game.

It is after all the first virtual MMO that allows a player to perform a full virtual body dive into the world of the game itself.

Tamaki had teamed up with Takao at first during the first few weeks of the beta test—after having designed her game avatar and picked her job class. She didn't make herself look that outrageously good looking like some of the other beta testers. All she did is merely to make her avatar have black hair instead of her teal blue hair, and with silver eyes instead of her sky blue eyes. And unlike Takao who'd picked the Swordsman class, even customising his avatar to have green hair but with silver-blue eyes (probably as a joke to Midorima), Tamaki had picked the Assassin class, having valued speed over power.

Takao had nearly laughed himself into a coma when he'd finally managed to find Tamaki in the Town of Beginnings where every player will find themselves when they'd logged into the game. Before they've actually started playing Sword Art Online, both have told the other their avatar names so that they could find the other in the game.

Playing Sword Art Online as one of the beta testers had given Tamaki a close circle of friends amongst the other beta testers. All of them were fun, cheerful and were more than willing to assist Tamaki and Takao. One was even particularly helpful, actually teaching the duo how to level up and battle monsters, and even where to find the best places to level up and for item collection.

A month after the beta test had been concluded marked the opening of the biggest VMMPORG gathering of the century – the opening of Sword Art Online. Takao had been messaging Tamaki all day about the game—even when they were in class, with the two making arrangements to meet up at their usual spot in Aincard for the official opening of the game.

Koganei and Izuki were sad that they could not get their hands on copies of the game, as it'd sold out in stores by the time that they got there, but both cheered up after Tamaki promised to let them borrow it sometime. Hyuuga looked almost exasperated as usual at their gaming talk, but let them be.

**XXXXXX**

"I just finished my shower. At least let me rest for a few minutes." Tamaki said, amused, balancing her sky blue cellphone in between her cheek and her shoulder even as she refilled the bowl of her puppy with dog food and water. Aoi, the small black and white husky whom she'd taken in after the Seirin versus Shutoku match nearly a month ago barked happily before diving into his food bowl. "Honestly, my coach got annoyed with all the buzzing that my phone kept giving out throughout practice. I thought that she would double the drills that I have to do. It's nearly a miracle that my teachers didn't catch my phone buzzing during class. _How_ on earth did you slip past your teachers' notice?"

"_Sorry."_ Takao didn't sound very sorry at all on the other end of the line. _"So I'll see you at Aincard in a few then?"_

Tamaki almost rolled her eyes. "Right. Maybe if we're lucky, we can catch up with Kirito and a few of the others. Caet emailed me a few days ago, asking if we want to team up like how we did during the beta testing period. We have to level up all over again, you realise?"

Takao's grumbling made Tamaki laugh even as she hung up her phone.

It is true that the beta testers start out at Level 1 like any other player the moment that the beta test period is over. But as they already knew all the ins and outs of the game, and thus, also knew where the best levelling up areas are, it isn't so much of a loss for them, since they probably could level up the fastest out of all the players in the game. And not to mention that they also know how to earn in-game money as fast as possible.

During the beta test period, several of the beta testers actually formed teams in order to conquer the bosses in each level of Aincard. After all, the floor bosses are not enemies that they could take on as solo players. All the beta testers learned that the hard way during the first week of beta testing. As a result, the beta testers that formed regular teams and plays with each other have became good friends even in reality. Though as most of them lived on opposite ends of each other in Japan, they became mail buddies or even texting buddies, often making dates to meet up in Sword Art Online over the three month beta testing period of the game.

"Aoi, be a good boy, do you hear me?" Tamaki told her puppy who only let out a light happy bark, his tail wagging happily behind him.

The teal haired girl smiled at her puppy even as she set up the NerveGear helmet as well as the Sword Art Online game before turning it on, climbing into her bed, ready to go into the virtual world.

"_Link start!"_

**XXXXXX**

The familiar sights of the Town of Beginnings greeted Tamaki's eyes, and she smiled to herself.

She's back.

Sword Art Online truly did deserve the title of 'hottest game of the year'. After all, previous MMPORGs have just been games that they played on a computer, with the player controlling their character. Until the NerveGear was developed by the same company that had developed the Sword Art Online game, no one even dreamed that it's possible for a gamer to be able to be _in_ the game itself.

Lots of people were already milling about the in the town plaza of the Town of Beginnings—the place where all players would find themselves in when they first logged into the game. And through the double doors that led into the marketplace, there were already people mingling about and buying items, armour and even weapons. The people in the town plaza were already trying to form parties and guilds, all of them eager to start on their quest to conquer all one hundred floors of Aincard.

"Tamaki! Tamaki!"

A loud voice kept calling her name over and over, and Tamaki almost groaned as she turned around to see a grinning male just a head taller than her with messy bright green hair and silver-blue eyes waving at her. He was dressed in the starting gear that all players at Level 1 were given, with two long blades by his sides—starting weapons given to the Swordsman class. It is similar to the starting weapons of Tamaki's chosen class, but in her case, the Assassin class uses twin short blades.

"You _don't_ call me by my real name in front of a crowd in Aincard!" Tamaki was annoyed, turning to face Takao Kazunari. "It's _Tsuyu!"_

"Sorry. Sorry." Takao grinned, not apologetic at all. "Where's Caet?" He asked, looking around in search of the player that had teamed up with them more than any other beta tester that they have befriended over the three month testing period.

"Here," said a monotone voice, and both turned to see a tall man with black hair and yellow eyes, dressed in the starting gear for the Samurai class.

The tall man is also a fellow beta player whom Tamaki and Takao have met during the beta testing period, and have teamed up together along with a few other beta players. They are probably one of the groups that actually advanced the furthest during the testing period.

Playing MMPORG games, or literally any type of game can actually allow Tamaki to forget that she's basically 'invisible' to nearly everyone in the real world, as her 'invisibility' doesn't mean anything in the virtual world. And then again, she had started becoming a lot more visible towards the end of her third year in Teiko…

"Should we go?" Tamaki asked Takao. "We might want to gain a few levels before anything else." She suggested. "We need to earn more Col to buy better gear and weapons as well."

"Yeah. Good idea." Takao nodded before he led the way through the marketplace, taking a shortcut by the side alleys that the three knew led to one of the training fields that will allow them to gain some starting levels quickly before attempting to battle some other high level monsters in some of the other monster fields.

To their surprise, they ran into two players on the way there—one with slightly longish black hair and the other with slightly longish _pink_ hair with a red bandanna around his forehead. The trio of players recognised the dark haired player instantly, having teamed up with him several times throughout the beta testing period, and he had even showed them the ropes the first time that they have played Sword Art Online and didn't even know what they're doing.

"Kirito?" Takao voiced out in surprise, and Kirito looked surprised to see them, but also pleased. "It's been awhile! Who's this?" He eyed Kirito's pink haired companion in surprise.

"Well, he's a new player, and I'm about to show him the ropes for a bit." Kirito sighed with a shrug. "Why don't the three of you come as well? You're about to go level up, right?" He enquired.

Tamaki nodded before turning towards the pink haired guy who is practically staring at her with hearts in his eyes for some reason. "I'm Tsuyu. Nice to meet you. This is Kaz," she gestured towards Takao on her right side, "And Caet," she gestured towards the tall man on her left.

"They are also beta testers." Kirito explained to Klein who doesn't even seem to be listening, jerking a thumb towards Tamaki, Takao and Caet. "I met them during the beta testing period, and we've even teamed up several times."

"Well, SAO isn't a game that you can conquer by yourself, especially the floor bosses." Caet grunted.

And then, before Tamaki even knew what is going on, the pink haired man had grasped her right hand with both of his. "Nice to meet you! I'm Klein! Twenty-two years old and currently single!"

"Right." Caet pried Klein's hands from Tamaki effortlessly. "Why don't we keep on moving? I would like to at least get to level fifteen by today. It'll make conquering the first floor boss hell of a lot easier."

"Aiming for the floor boss already?" Kirito joked. "You're ambitious, Caet."

"Right back at you."

* * *

><p>Due to their familiarity of the area around Aincard up to the tenth floor since that's the furthest that they've ever ventured during the beta test period, the four beta testers brought Klein straight to one of the starting battle fields – the West Field on the Floor of Beginnings to battle against a horde of hogs that can give them some rather impressive EXP, also giving Klein a quick crash course on the battle system of SAO.<p>

Like all MMPORGs, SAO have a variety of job classes that the players could pick, even having a sub class like a crafter, blacksmith, cook, etc. The main job classes are typically Samurai, Swordsman, Swashbuckler, Defender, Assassin and Monk – the warrior job classes. Most players new to the game typically pick either Swordsman or Monk – two of the job classes that have the highest attacking power and also have high HP. The sole difference between the two is that the Swordsman class attacks with swords, even able to equip a large variety of all bladed weapons that ranged from broadswords to rapiers and even one-handed or two-handed swords. Whereas the Monk uses fists or a short blade. On the other hand, a Defender has average attack power, but have the highest defense stats out of the six job classes in SAO, with their main role typically being to draw the attention of the enemy and to take the most damage. Hence why Defender isn't exactly a job class that most would pick. The Swashbuckler and Assassin job classes on the other hand are typically categorised in the 'expert job classes'. Unlike the Swordsman and the Monk classes, the Swashbuckler and Assassin job classes favour speed, and both job classes are also capable of dual wielding.

However, all job classes have several battle skills, and it really depends on each player's preference. For example, the Swordsman class could choose to either wield a sword single-handed or even two-handed. Whereas the Swashbuckler and the Assassin job classes dual wield weapons, no matter what they do. Unlike the Swashbuckler that can only wield mid-length blades however, the Assassin class could typically handle any form of weapon available in SAO. The Assassin class is also the only job class that have Stealth and Night Vision, hence allowing them to hide from view and cloak themselves.

Much of their time are typically spent on explaining to Klein the battle systems and the job classes, with Klein paying close attention when Takao touched on the Swordsman class, since that had been the job class that Klein had picked as well.

As the four beta testers have already fought together in battle several times during the beta test period, they have good teamwork, and could level up quickly. They tried to cover Klein as much as they could until he got used to the battle system, and had even managed to kill five hogs on his own the moment that he had grinded up to level five. After that, they could then take their eyes off Klein for a bit as they work on increasing their EXP and battle skills, also mindful of the durability of their starting weapons, and collecting item drops from monsters as they go. Most of the items, they could use to either upgrade their current equipment, or even take it to a crafter to have the crafter craft several useful items for them that would boost their stats.

All SAO players could place an unlimited number of items in their item inventory, so they could access it at any moment, even if they are in the dungeons or hunting grounds. However, the item inventory doesn't do anything for the durability of items and the freshness of food items.

Right now, Tamaki and Takao were both staring, amused at the sight of a groaning Klein as one of the mid-level monsters in the area kicked the pink haired guy in the crotch, with Kirito staring, deadpanned, not too far away from him. Caet was making a show of cleaning his sword even as 'CONGRATULATIONS' windows appeared in front of each of them, showing the EXP and the amount of Col that they've gained after slaying a group of about twenty mid-level hogs.

"Give me a break." Kirito sighed, walking over to Klein. "You don't feel any pain, right?"

"Oh. Right."

Kirito sighed, exchanging looks with his friends who only shrugged. They've done the explanation of SAO's system earlier. It is Kirito's turn to teach Klein the battle system—or more specifically, how to access his sword skills. "I've told you." Kirito turned back towards Klein. "What's important is your initial motion input."

"Sure, I get that." Klein grumbled. "But he keeps moving about." He pointed at the gray hog not too far away from them, ignoring all five players as it munched on a blade of grass.

"It brings back memories." Takao chuckled, sitting down on the grass to watch the 'tutoring system', with Tamaki and Caet on either side of him. "Kirito taught us how to play the game during the beta testing period too." He reminded Tamaki who smiled at the memory. "He teamed up with us during the first floor boss fight, remember?"

"Hey, you guys done over there?" Kirito called out to them over his shoulder. "Let's head over to the next one!"

**XXXXXX**

It was sunset by the time that they have decided to take a break from hunting monsters for EXP and Col gain.

Tamaki still has no idea how the developers have done it, but for some reason, they have made the passage of time in SAO reflect that of real Japan time. Probably so that the players—majority of which are middle school or high school students wouldn't lose track of time and forget to study and go to school, or something like that.

"I still can't believe it, no matter how many times I've seen it." Klein admitted as he stared at the horde of dragonlings in the sky. "That we're in a game. Whoever made it is a genius."

"Well, I can share your sentiments." Takao grinned, raising his hand in the sky, feeling the sensation of the wind blowing through his hair and even his hand. "It's difficult to believe that just simple data and numbers could create a world like _this."_ He gestured around them.

"But that's what make games so fun." Tamaki smiled to herself. "You get to live in a completely different world, and live a completely different life from the one that you have in reality."

"Well, true. But it is only for a few hours, you realise?" Caet pointed out. "It's too bad, but it's back to studies, club activities and then prep exams for me after this. It's a pain." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, grumbling beneath his breath.

"Oh, you're a student?" Klein asked, curious. "High school? Or university?"

"My final year of high school." Caet answered, irritated. "I have university entrance exams this year. And my school is one of those who wouldn't permit their students to score less than eighty for each paper. What a pain." He grumbled. "All the cram classes and even prep exams are going to kill me before I could take the university entrance exams for real. So what even if I'm aiming for Todai? I know my standard. I'm currently in the top ten of my school." Caet huffed, annoyed. "And you shouldn't ask players about their lives in reality." He reminded Klein. "It's kind of a rule in MMPORG games."

"I guess so." Klein smiled sheepishly. "But still, this game is amazing." He said again, looking at his surroundings in wonder. "Seriously, I'm glad I was born in this time."

"You make a big deal out of everything." Kirito sighed.

"It's my first full dive!"

"Right. Right. You both can argue again another time." Tamaki interrupted. "It's getting late." She gestured towards the setting sun. "Do you want to hunt some more or log out?"

"I'd love to, but I have a ton of assignments to complete." Caet said apologetically. "I'm sorry, but I have to log out. I'll see you here tomorrow at the same time?" He asked Takao and Tamaki.

"Yeah, of course." Takao nodded. "I have to go too. My mum cooks dinner at this time every day."

"I'm waiting for my pizza." Klein whined. "But I'll be back after I've eaten! The three of you?" He asked Tamaki, Takao and Caet.

"Yeah, I think I'll see you tomorrow too." Tamaki sighed. "I have homework to complete."

"Oh, the wonders of being a student." Klein grinned, hanging his arm around Tamaki's shoulders, much to her annoyance. "But don't fret, you'll be free from school in a few years, then you can do what you want. In the meantime though…" He released his hold around Tamaki's shoulders, opening up the menu interface. "I think I'll log off too…— Huh?" The four beta testers turned towards Klein in confusion. The pink haired man is staring at his menu interface in confusion. "There's no button to log out."

"There shouldn't be—" Takao who had walked over to Klein to point out the log out button for him froze as he stared over Klein's shoulder, as the familiar 'Exit' button at the bottom of the main menu isn't there anymore. He quickly turned around to face his companions. "Hey, can any of you log out?" He asked, bringing up his menu interface as well only to see that the 'Exit' button isn't on his menu either.

Tamaki, Caet and Kirito exchanged bewildered looks before they brought up their own menu interfaces only to freeze, as the 'Exit' button isn't there any longer.

"See, not there." Klein pointed out.

"Yeah."

"Maybe it's a glitch or something?" Caet suggested. "They're probably looking into it right now."

"Maybe—"

"Shh!" Tamaki hushed them, a frown on her face, her head cocked to one side. "Do you hear that?"

There was a low gong that echoed throughout the clearing, and then before either of them could react, a flash of blue enveloped each of their bodies and they then disappeared from the meadows.

* * *

><p>Each of them reappeared once more at the town plaza of the Town of Beginnings. Looking around, Tamaki realised that more and more players were being teleported into the town plaza, each of them looking worried and bewildered.<p>

"A forced teleport?" Kirito murmured, confused.

"Hey! Kaz! Tsuyu! Caet!" A loud voice called out, and as Tamaki turned around, it is to see a dirty blonde haired teen with spiky hair and blue eyes making their way towards them, with a black haired teen slightly taller than him walking behind him.

"Ciav! Nirali!" Takao nodded to the two who have been one of the few beta testers that they've teamed up frequently with in the past. They have met the duo when they were on Floor 4, and have teamed up together with them until they've conquered the tenth floor at the end of the beta testing period.

"What do you think is going on?" Ciav asked first of all, breathless. "I can't contact the Game Master at all."

"I have no idea, but I have a feeling that we're about to find out." Tamaki said coolly, pointing upwards.

"The sky?"

A small hexagonal shape in the colour of deep red had appeared in the sky with the word _Warning_ written on it. And then, more similar signs appeared, along with several signs that read _System Announcement,_ thus dyeing the once orange sunset sky crimson red.

Then, almost like something from a horror movie, a dark red liquid started leaking from the cracks in between the signs in the sky. Slowly, the thick liquid blended together to form an enlarged hooded figure that towered over the thousands of players who have gathered at the town plaza.

"Is that the Game Master?" Nirali asked in confusion. "Why isn't he showing his face?"

The murmurs from the rest of the crowd echoed Nirali's question as well, as from most game magazines that featured the Game Master of a game, especially an MMPORG, the face of this particular Game Master isn't visible from beneath the hood.

"Attention players." Tamaki stiffened as she recognised the voice—having heard the same voice on the television and even the radio throughout the past few months when the game creator was invited by the media to talk more about Sword Art Online during the few months prior to the game's official release. "Welcome to my world. My name is Kayaba Akihiko. As of this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world."

Tamaki's eyes widened. She recalled the game magazine that Koganei-sempai had brought to practice that day several months ago, waving it about, with the magazine featuring Sword Art Online, the NerveGear, the company that had created them, and even the creator behind these two items – Kayaba Akihiko himself.

"I'm sure you've already noticed that the logout button is missing from the main menu. But this is not a defect in the game." Tamaki is starting to realise what is going on now, and her face paled. She exchanged looks with Kirito who looked furious—obviously, he understood what is going on as well. "I repeat, this is not a defect in the game. It is a feature of Sword Art Online. You cannot log out of SAO yourselves. And no one on the outside can shut down or remove the NerveGear. Should this be attempted, the transmitter inside the NerveGear will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and thus ending your life."

That brought forth a new wave of protests and demands for their questions to be answered. A couple even attempted to leave the town plaza, dismissing the Game Master's claims, only to be knocked back into the town plaza by an invisible barrier of some sort.

"What's he talking about?" Klein asked nervously, not even wanting to consider the possibility of such a thing. "Hey, is such a thing even possible?" He asked Kirito.

"Theoretically, it _is_ possible." Caet was the one to answer, furrowing his brows with concern. "He is right that the transmitter's signals of the NerveGear work just like microwaves. I mean, it is possible for the NerveGear to allow the user to perform a full body dive into a game, right?" He pointed out.

"And if the safety is disabled, it could fry a brain." Kirito realised, realising the implications of such a situation.

"Then if we cut the power?" Klein questioned.

"No, it's not possible." Tamaki shook her head. "The NerveGear has an internal battery, remember?" She pointed out, only making everyone more nervous. After all, everything that Kayaba Akihiko had said thus far isn't technically false.

The voice of Kayaba Akihiko raised a few volumes due to the loud protests and murmurs of the players. "Unfortunately, several players' friends and families have ignored this warning, and have attempted to remove the NerveGear. As a result, two hundred and thirteen players are gone forever, from both Aincard and the real world."

"Two hundred and thirteen?" Kirito visibly paled from next to Takao.

"I don't believe this!" Klein stubbornly protested. "This can't be happening!"

Tamaki exchanged looks with Takao who looked worried and a tad bit terrified as well. She live alone, but if something like this is true and is probably broadcasted on news stations all over the world by now, chances are that her aunt and maybe even her teammates would be attempting to break her door down should she not take their calls or even fail to turn up at school or even work.

There are people that would notice if she should go missing, and would sound the alarm. But what about the rest of the players in the game? Would there be anyone who would notice?

"As you can see, news organisations across the world are reporting all of this, including the deaths." Kayaba Akihiko continued speaking, even as multiple windows appeared in mid-air around him, with video feed from news stations appearing on it. "Thus, you can assume that the danger of a NerveGear being removed is now minimal. I hope you will relax and attempt to clear the game." Tamaki's eyes widened as she finally understood what this is all about, and what it means for them—the players of Sword Art Online. "But please remember this. There is no longer any method to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be forever lost. And simultaneously, the NerveGear will destroy your brain."

Tamaki felt faint at this point, and could barely stand on her feet. Ciav who is next to her steadied her on her feet by grasping her arm gently. She understood where Kayaba Akihiko is going with this now. In other words, should someone die in this game from now on, they will no longer get automatically be transported to the Cathedral to get revived. From now on, if someone dies in Sword Art Online, they will also die for real in the real world.

"There is only one means of escape." Kayaba Akihiko's voice sounded abnormally loud in the deadly silence that had now enveloped the entire plaza. Everyone was now too shocked to even protest. A few players have even fallen to the ground on their behinds, unable to stand any longer. "In order to complete the game, or in other words, to escape from this world. You are presently on the lowest floor of Aincard, Floor 1." A blue-green hologram image of the floating castle of Aincard appeared in front of the robed figure of the Game Master. "If you make your way through the dungeon and defeat the Floor Boss, you may advance to the next level. Defeat the final boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game."

"Clear the game?"

"What is he talking about?"

"I see…" Tamaki bit on the edge of her thumb, gritting her teeth in silent fury, but the furious expression in her eyes spoke wonders for her. As one, the six boys around her took a step back from her gingerly, each having more than enough experience with furious females in their life to know just how scary a furious woman could be. "Sword Art Online had just turned into a death game. This isn't just a simple game anymore."

"Clear all one hundred floors?" Klein seemed to be in a state of shock as he repeated what Kayaba had just announced. "That's impossible! Even the beta testers never made it anywhere near that high!"

The beta testers – Tamaki, Takao, Kirito, Caet, Ciav and Nirali exchanged worried looks with each other. Even throughout the three month period of beta testing for Sword Art Online prior to the official release, the furthest that they have managed is just Floor 10, and even so, they have only managed to do so by the skin of their teeth, and by cooperating with each other.

The Floor Boss of each floor gets tougher as they advance further. Getting better equipment and weapons, and even increasing their battle skill and level doesn't guarantee a victory against the Floor Boss either. Some Floor Bosses are just not possible to be beaten by one or two people. There are some Floor Bosses that are beatable only when at least a minimum of ten people engages in battle at the same time.

Even so, Sword Art Online isn't Tamaki's first MMPORG. Preparation for boss battles in other MMPORG games had led Tamaki to character deaths countless times, and Tamaki isn't what you would call an offensive player. She tends to perform battles with tactics and strategies in mind—often succeeding with her HP barely falling into the yellow zone. Hence why so many beta testers have wanted to team up with her during the SAO beta testing period when they have discovered what she's capable of.

And now Kayaba Akihiko is telling them that the only way to beat the game and thus get out of SAO is to clear all one hundred floors and beat the final Floor Boss?

That's impossible.

There's no way that they could achieve this.

"Finally, I've added a present from me to your item storage. Please see for yourselves."

A present?

Exchanging bewildered looks with the rest of her friends, Tamaki immediately brought up her menu interface and went to her item storage menu. She still had the item drops from the monsters that she had battled several hours earlier, including the special equipment and weapons that were given to her as a gift due to her status as a beta tester. Finally, Tamaki saw the item at the bottom of the list that she doesn't remember getting.

Mirror.

"Mirror?" Tamaki murmured in confusion, selecting the item from the menu, with a simple hand mirror appearing in a flash of blue in mid-air and falling into her hand.

It was a simple design of a hand mirror—almost similar to the one that she had at her home. Her chosen avatar of a black haired female with silver eyes stared back at her in confusion in the reflection of the mirror.

And then, without warning, there were panicked screams from the other players around her, including Klein and Takao, even as flashes of bright white light engulfed them. Tamaki let out a startled scream as the same light engulfed her, shielding her eyes from the bright light.

Almost as soon as it had begun, it was over.

"Everyone! Are you all right?" Kirito's voice echoed out, panicked.

"Y-Yeah." Tamaki turned to face the Swordsman, only to stare in confusion. "Uh… Who are you?" She asked, staring at the almost feminine face of a black haired teen standing in front of her, looking as confused as she feels. Not too far away from him is a young man in his early twenties wearing the same bandanna that Klein had been wearing earlier.

"And who are you?" The black haired teen asked in complete confusion, looking from her to the bandanna wearing man.

Tamaki glanced over at Takao's direction and saw that he's wearing his real face once more. Next to him where Caet had been standing earlier is that of a tall silver haired teen with a handsome face and dark eyes. Their faces looked confused as well.

Tamaki caught her reflection in the hand mirror that she had been holding before the white light had engulfed them, and saw her real face staring back at her. The large group of players that have chosen beautiful and handsome avatars for themselves have also reverted back to their true forms.

"You're a _guy?"_

"You were lying about being seventeen?"

"Which means…" Takao turned towards the now silver haired Caet in bewilderment. _"You're_ Caet?" He hollered. "Damn it!" He clutched at his head. "How is this even possible?"

"The NerveGear covers your entire head with a high-density signalling device. So it can see what your face looks like." Kirito furrowed his brows, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation. "But our height and body shape…"

"When we first used the NerveGear, it had us calibrate it, right?" Klein reminded them. "You had to touch your body all over. But…!" Klein clutched at his now spiky dark brown hair with agitation. "Ahhh! What is going on here? Why did he do this?"

"Right now, you're probably wondering 'Why?' Why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of Sword Art Online and the NerveGear, do all this?" Kayaba said smoothly once the initial shock of everyone had died down. "My goal had already been achieved. I created Sword Art Online for one reason. To create this world and intervene in it. And now, it is complete. This ends the tutorial for the official Sword Art Online launch. Good luck, players."

The Game Master's figure then distorted and twisted before it vanished, along with all the red signs that have once covered the skies, thus leaving a shocked silence in his wake.

It didn't take long for the screams of disbelief and outrage to break out.

Staring back at Takao and Caet, Tamaki could see that they are in a state of shock and disbelief too.

"…T-Tamaki?" A shocked voice spoke from behind her tentatively, almost as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

Tamaki's eyes widened, almost forgetting that Ciav and Nirali are with them too. She turned around to face them, and her eyes widened even further as she saw the two figures that were standing where Ciav and Nirali were standing earlier.

A dark orange haired teen with soft brown eyes is standing where Ciav is standing earlier, a shocked expression on his face. Next to him, a tall teen with sleek black hair and dark eyes was standing where Nirali had been standing earlier, a bewildered expression on his face.

Tamaki felt as if she had stopped breathing as she stared, dropping the mirror in her hands with shock. The mirror crashed to the ground—being pulled by gravity, and dissolved into hundreds of pale green hexagonal shards.

"…S-Shige-kun?"

* * *

><p><em>AN: My first time attempting a crossover fic between Kuroko no Basuke and Sword Art Online, and for certain reasons, this won't be filed under the crossover section. Anyway, while Kirito had appeared in this story, and he is most definitely considered a close friend of Tamaki and Takao's, he won't be the main focus of this story. And on that note, I might or might not have Tamaki build a guild of her own. And if that happens, would you like Kirito to join it? Or maybe even Klein?_

_Also, a cookie to anyone who could guess who Caet is. A hint: he's a high school senior; he had silver hair; he is a canon character in KnB. And in case anyone is wondering, this story would alternate between chapters between the characters in the game and then to the people outside the game. So it would go 'SAO world, real world, SAO world, real world'._

_The game character names and job classes of the ones introduced thus far, and I will also be updating the list in future chapters:_

_Kuroko Tamaki: Assassin (Tsuyu)  
><em>_Takao Kazunari: Swordsman (Kaz)  
><em>_?: Samurai (Caet)  
><em>_Ogiwara Shigehiro: Swashbuckler (Ciav)  
><em>_Mochida Kanata: Defender (Nirali)_

_If anyone can suggest a better story title, it'll be much appreciated! I hope that you guys like this chapter, and please read and review!_


	2. SAO Incident

Thank you to all those who have reviewed or placed this story on your alerts and favourites' list. You've just about made my day when I woke up the next day and saw email after email! To all those who have thought that Caet is Mayuzumi, you got it right! I thought that I've already given more than enough hints throughout the story. Anyway, as mentioned, the chapters of this story will go 'SAO world, real world, SAO world, real world'. Also, while I would probably follow SAO canon for the most part, as the main character in this story is Tamaki and not Kirito, the main plot will go another way.

**Pairings: **Shigehiro/Tamaki

**Warnings:** AU Universe. OOC. Gender swap. Minor character bashing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basuke and Sword Art Online and any of the characters, but the OC characters belongs to me

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: SAO Incident<strong>

It was late in the afternoon, probably a little past three when he'd gotten the news.

And even months after that incident, he could still remember with clarity the exact time and day when he'd gotten the horrific news. And like nearly all of their friends, Midorima Shintaro blamed himself for that incident that was thus dubbed by the general populace as the SAO Incident.

He'd gotten to know Kuroko Tamaki in Teiko.

He still remembered it like it was yesterday. It was the first day of middle school, and he, like nearly every other freshman in Teiko Middle School, had gathered around outside the first gym during lunch hour to watch the 'friendly match' between a group of freshmen and the current regulars of the basketball team. Only that the match isn't quite so 'friendly'.

And apparently, a few of his fellow freshmen thought so too, as a small teal haired girl had appeared from out of nowhere to defend her schoolmate from getting punched by that arrogant senior. Then, before Midorima even knew what is happening, he found himself being roped into Akashi Seijuro's crazy scheme to form a new varsity basketball team.

They succeeded, as in all hindsight, the current regulars of the basketball team and even the coach itself were all a bunch of assholes, and the basketball team of Teiko didn't have the best reputation. The School Board was more than happy to replace them with a new team who actually don't resort to violence and threats to win.

There were problems their first year, of course. After all, they were a group of freshmen, and though lots of other freshmen joined them after the rumours have spread across the school of how they'd kicked the asses of the former varsity team in a game, they still received all kinds of trouble from the seniors. Without a coach, Aomine had brought in Momoi Satsuki to help with their training until they could get a more permanent coach.

Things weren't the best then, but Midorima was _happy._ Hell, that is probably his happiest year throughout his time in Teiko. With a group of _friends_ that accepted him despite his weird quirks and habits, though he would likely deny it if you asked him that.

They won every match that came their way, and even managed to get a coach who used to be a member of Japan's National team. Then come second year when Kise Ryota had joined them and Haizaki Shougo had left them. They started getting stronger, with Aomine being the first amongst them to blossom in skills at an alarming rate.

Midorima saw how Aomine and Tamaki's once close friendship started to crack as they slowly drifted apart due to Aomine's self-centered philosophy on basketball, not even realising or probably not even caring just how much he'd hurt Tamaki with his selfishness. And as Aomine and Tamaki started to drift apart, Kise and Tamaki started to get closer as she practiced with him more. The blonde is more than happy to spend time with Tamaki, and is always as eager as a beaver as he listened to Tamaki's advice on how to improve during club practice.

It was around that time when Midorima started seeing Tamaki armed with a game console during hours when she isn't training, studying, sleeping or eating.

But like when things in the club had started going downhill, he said nothing.

Then when Hanamiya Makoto had injured Tamaki, though the teal haired girl was lucky enough that the guy hadn't completely crippled her—merely injuring her enough that she will be out of commission from matches for the rest of second year. If Hanamiya Makoto _had_ actually crippled Tamaki's left hand, no force on earth would have been able to restrain Akashi from hunting the guy down and killing him.

Third year became a complete nightmare when one after the other, they started growing tremendously in skills, thus leaving the rest of the club behind in the dust. And who knows when it had even begun, but Teiko's play during matches started becoming more of an 'everyone for themselves' instead of team play.

Midorima was probably the only one amongst the regulars of the first string who'd noticed outside of Akashi, but like everything else, he remained silent. Hell, it is impossible not to notice the lack of noise coming from the Teiko bleachers at every single match, and how the number of second and third stringers has been slowly dwindling down with each match.

As the vice captain of Teiko, Tamaki probably knew why they'd resigned, and it is probably serious enough for her to agree to let them leave the club. But like everything else, Midorima stayed silent. And even when Tamaki is spending more time on gaming than on _anything_ else, he still said nothing.

Even after the disastrous match at the championship league when Akashi and Tamaki barely said more than two words to any of the regulars, Midorima still said nothing.

The Generation of Miracles parted on pretty bad terms after their third year at Teiko. It probably wouldn't be so much as an exaggeration to say that _none_ of them parted as friends save for perhaps Akashi and Tamaki, and maybe Momoi who had been Tamaki's best friend.

His first few months at high school passed pretty quickly. And though Midorima was slightly surprised to see that Kise had lost to Tamaki and her new team, he was determined not to make the same mistake that Kise did at the Inter High.

However, even though he knew perfectly well what Tamaki is capable of, and what she could do _(hell, you don't become the second-in-command of a team like Teiko for three years running without being a monster in basketball yourself),_ Midorima still made the same mistake in underestimating Seirin, and he paid dearly for it.

Takao was the one to pull him together after his first loss, and for some reason, the guy got along like a house on fire with Tamaki after that, with the two often making plans to get together for some online gaming with a few online gaming friends of theirs.

From careful prodding at Takao after that, Midorima knew that Tamaki's gaming addiction had stayed at a level that was reasonable—as in that she doesn't forego sleep or school anymore like she did for a time back in Teiko, especially after the championship league. Besides, from what Takao had told Midorima, Tamaki's new teammates wouldn't let that happen, especially Kagami who made it his mission in life to at least make sure that Tamaki eat proper home cooked food instead of store bought bento even though the teal haired girl could cook.

And so, after the Sword Art Online incident had happened, Midorima felt all the guilt hit him all at once whenever he looked into the hospital room and saw Kuroko Tamaki lying on the bed, motionless, with the NerveGear over her head.

Maybe if he'd just tried harder back in Teiko and hadn't just ignored everything like it is no concern of his, and had just showed Tamaki that he'd cared for her and cherished her as one of his close friends, then maybe he wouldn't have lost her to a virtual world.

But like nearly every single one of his old teammates, Midorima knew that it is too little, and too late.

**XXXXXX**

He still remembered the exact time and day and even the place where he'd gotten the news, and the horror that he'd felt when he realised that it isn't Kise's very poor excuse for a joke. He hadn't forgotten the dread when he realised what everyone else had—that over 10,000 people were trapped in a virtual reality with no way out, and no matter the number of medical journals that Midorima had pored over, he still found no way to help his friends.

It was a little past three in the afternoon when Midorima had received the news.

Kise had dragged him to the Rising Sun restaurant for a quick snack. It was a Friday, and thus, no basketball practices were scheduled for both their schools, as most high schools in Japan uses Friday afternoons for preparatory classes for their third years to prepare them for their university entrance exams in late October.

Yuki-san had welcomed them warmly—her once icy attitude towards them when she'd learned from her son and niece what their old team had done to their childhood friend had thawed slightly after both Kise and Midorima had a very rude wake up call after losing to Tamaki in a basketball match.

Midorima had his usual red bean soup in front of him whilst Kise had a bowl of onion gratin soup in front of him. The blonde was chattering on and on about nothing in particular whilst Midorima was trying his best to ignore the blonde's constant chatter when Kise had suddenly choked on his soup, thus spitting it out all over Midorima, much to his disgust.

The blonde had suddenly gone pale when he had seen the news on the television in a corner of the Rising Sun restaurant. Yuki-san had turned the broadcast to the news channel that day, and an emergency report had just came in, with the broadcaster reporting solemnly that there were more than 10,000 victims of what is now dubbed as the SAO Incident, and that players of that game were now all trapped in the virtual reality with no way out.

Kise was as pale as a ghost when he'd stared at the television before turning his gaze towards Midorima. "Midorima-cchi, _please_ tell me that Tamacchi _didn't_ get that game…!" Kise pleaded, his eyes wide with fear, even as the broadcaster stated that there were a little over two hundred victims who have died as a result of their families and friends removing the NerveGear in the hopes that it would bring them out of the game.

The phone in Rising Sun had rung shrilly just then, and Yuki-san who had been in the kitchen had raced out to take the call. Due to how close their table had been to the counter, both Midorima and Kise could hear Akashi's frantic voice on the other end of the line even as his mother took his call.

"_Mom, please tell me that Tama __**didn't**__ get Sword Art Online!"_ Akashi sounded frightened.

Yuki-san had sounded confused, furrowing her brows, not understanding what her son had been talking about. "Sword Art _what?"_ she queried, confused. "Sei-chan, what are you talking about?"

"_It's a game, Mom!"_ Akashi sounded as if he's barely restraining himself from shouting at his mother. He might be lots of things, but the one thing that Akashi isn't is that he isn't filial. His mother and cousin are probably two of the only people in the world that he wouldn't hurt, no matter what. _"Watch the news. Now. You'll get your answers there. I can't get in touch with Tama! I'm coming to Tokyo now!"_

"Sei-chan, what—?" Yuki-san was more confused than anything even as Akashi hung up hurriedly before turning her attention towards the television in her eatery, only to pale, as she understood what her son is so frantic about. "Good Lord, no…!"

Meanwhile, Kise was staring at Midorima with pleading eyes, fear and terror written all over his face. Midorima hadn't even noticed it himself, but his hands were shaking as well. "Midorima-cchi, _please_ tell me that Tamacchi didn't get that game!" he pleaded again.

Midorima didn't know what to tell Kise, because he knew, even as he stared at the television screen even as the news feed showed video images of several of the victims who have their brains fried as a result of their families removing the NerveGear, and even of several other victims who are currently getting transported to the hospitals sanctioned by the Japan government to house victims of the SAO Incident.

Tamaki had started becoming almost addicted to gaming starting from the second half of her second year of Teiko. Her gaming addiction got especially worse during her third year, and when there aren't school or club activities to occupy her time, Tamaki had gone straight home to play games instead.

Midorima also remembered overhearing a conversation between Takao, Miyaji-sempai and Kimura-sempai the other day in the changing room that the Hawk Eye user had dragged Tamaki out to the game company that had developed the Sword Art Online game to apply as beta testers. They've been one of the better beta testers throughout the three month testing period, and the game company had even given them advanced copies of the game when it was scheduled to be released on the shelves.

With just how chummy that Takao and Tamaki have been ever since they've first met during the Inter High, even becoming gaming buddies, if Takao had gotten a copy of Sword Art Online, chances are that Tamaki would have gotten one too, especially if she is also a beta tester for that game.

Heart almost in his mouth, Midorima turned towards Kise. "…I'm going to check on Takao." He barely managed to get the words out of his mouth. Takao was so excited all day during class that day—along with nearly three-quarters of his school population. From what Takao had been trying to tell him all day, Sword Art Online is supposed to have their opening ceremony that day. Thus, every single player who had gotten the game is bound to be playing it today. "You head to Tamaki's place! Call if something happens!"

And even before Kise could reply, Midorima had grabbed his bag and hightailed it out of the Rising Sun restaurant, flagging down a cab just outside the restaurant, and ordering the cab driver to drive as fast as he could to Takao's place.

Takao lives just a street away from where Midorima himself lives, and had often swung by in the morning to pick up the green head for school. Likewise, Midorima had often been a regular visitor to the Takao residence, with Takao's little sister being somewhat of an admirer of Midorima.

Takao's mother was at the door, apparently having just returned home from work when Midorima had arrived. She was surprised at Midorima's sudden appearance, but she had paled instantly when Midorima had told her what had happened, and a quick search of the Internet browser on her phone confirmed Midorima's claims.

Thus, it wasn't too long before both Midorima and Takao's mother have entered the house, rushing straight to Takao's room by instinct alone.

The door was slightly ajar, and due to his slightly longer legs, Midorima got to Takao's room ahead of Takao's mother.

And then, there he was.

Lying on his bed like he was almost sleeping, with his game console resting on the shelf behind his bed, a NerveGear helmet on his head, with the green lights blinking as an indicator that it had been powered on.

"No. No. No." Takao's mother whimpered, covering her face with her hands, almost slumping down to the floor itself. _"Kazunari…"_

Midorima paled, seeing his best friend lying on the bed, knowing that he is currently trapped in a virtual reality—just like at least 10,000 more people all across Japan who are probably currently getting transported to hospitals by now.

The green head reached out towards the motionless Takao, hands shaking as he did so before he hesitated, remembering what he'd seen on the news, and on the news articles that he'd read on his phone on the way to Takao's house.

Every single piece of news had said the same thing—that removing the NerveGear would kill the player instantly. A little over two hundred people have died by having their NerveGear removed after all.

Midorima stared at Takao for what seemed like hours, being at a loss of what to do for the first time in his life. Finally, he took his phone out from his pocket, dialling his father's work phone. At this hour, he should still be in the hospital, and Midorima prayed that his father would pick up the call.

Three rings later, the call was answered by a very irate sounding Midorima Shuji who seemed to be screaming orders at his staff. It almost sounded like chaos on the other end of the line as well, with people screaming at each other—almost unheard of in a hospital, let alone the Midorima Municipal Hospital.

"_Shintaro? What is it? I can't talk right now!"_ Dr. Midorima sounded irritated even as someone on the other end of the line—probably a nurse or something addressed the doctor, _"Dr. Midorima, we got another call! There are two more victims coming in!"_ Midorima heard his father groan. _"Suga, open up the wing that we usually use for the CDC patients! It's empty now, right? Use that wing for the SAO victims coming in! And call in all doctors and nurses that are off-duty right now!"_ Dr. Midorima turned his attention back to his son. _"What is it, Shintaro?"_

"Dad, is your hospital taking in the SAO victims?" Midorima asked breathlessly. From what he'd heard, it sounds like it. "Can you take in another patient?"

"_Doctor! We got a call from the hospital in Kyoto! They can't take in any more patients, and they are sending two victims of the SAO incident to us! Names by Mayuzumi and Ogiwara. High school age. They'll be here in an hour. Also, we have another SAO victim from the Tokyo district being brought in. Name of Sakurai. High school freshman."_

"_Fine! Hold on!"_ Dr. Midorima sounded extremely frazzled as he turned his attention back to his son. _"Shintaro, how many beds do you need? How many of your friends are you sending to us?"_

He spoke so quickly that Midorima could barely understand what his father is saying.

"…Two." Midorima answered after a slight pause. "I'll tell the ambulance to head to your hospital."

"_All right. I'll tell the nurses to expect their arrivals."_ Dr. Midorima answered briskly before going back to shouting at his staff. _"Suga, tell them that we can't take in anymore! All heads of departments, head to the meeting room now!" Click._

Midorima hung up his phone silently even as he called for an ambulance on his phone, explaining the situation to them, also trying to ignore Takao's mother's silent sobbing behind him, not knowing just what to say to comfort her.

The ten minutes that the staff on the emergency line had promised seemed to take an eternity as Midorima touched Takao's cheek gently, not daring to touch the NerveGear on his best friend's head. Throughout everything, Takao was as motionless as a rock.

And it just seems so _wrong._

The paramedics were in Takao's room before he knew it, and after telling the head of the paramedic team what had happened and which hospital to take Takao to, with one of the paramedics promising Midorima that he would take care of Takao _and_ Takao's mother, Midorima had hightailed it out of there, hailing a cab to head to Tamaki's place next.

Kise had phoned Midorima whilst he was halfway there, almost frantic, as Tamaki isn't answering her door or even her phone, even though the blonde knew that she is at home. And according to Kise, her puppy seems to be almost panicking, barking madly.

Midorima couldn't get to Tamaki's place any faster, and barely waited to get his change back from the cab driver as he paid him, almost stumbling out of the vehicle and rushing to Tamaki's front door where Kise was banging on the door frantically, seeming as if he is on the verge of breaking Tamaki's front door down. The green head was almost surprised to see a frantic Kagami rushing up to Tamaki's house with the three other freshmen in the Seirin team behind him.

"We saw the news!" Kagami told them, breathless. "Is Tamaki not answering the door?"

"I've been banging on her door for the past thirty minutes!" Kise cried out, almost throwing his hands up in frustration. "She's not answering!"

"Tamaki! Open up!" Midorima banged on the front door, even though he knew that no one would be answering as Kise said it would. "I'm going to Yuki-san's!" He told Kise quickly. "I'll get Tamaki's spare key from her—"

"Don't bother." Kagami interrupted, pulling out a ring of keys from his pocket, holding a silver key in between his index finger and his thumb. "I got Tamaki's spare key. She gave it to me during the time when she got ill, and I took care of her."

Midorima tried to ignore the stab of guilt that went through him at that. During Teiko, it had always been _them_ who would take care of Tamaki whenever she got ill. She always had a weak immune system, and often came down with chills and fevers especially when the weather started getting colder.

When was it when she started relying on other people to take care of her when she got ill?

Kagami's hands were shaking so badly that he couldn't even insert the key into the lock. Finally, the meek looking brunette of the Seirin trio—Furihata or something, as Midorima had never bothered to remember the names of those who had never faced him on the court, took the key from Kagami and inserted the key into the lock, unlocking the door. Behind him, one of his friends had started phoning their coach whilst the other had phoned for an ambulance. And from snippets of the conversation that Midorima had overheard, he could understand that it'll be a while before an ambulance gets here, as there were over 10,000 victims of the SAO incident.

Furihata managed to get the door opened at last, and a small black and white husky with strangely familiar blue eyes came bounding up to them, barking madly, pawing at Kagami's pant leg frantically.

"Aoi!" Fukuda picked up the puppy who squirmed in his hold, finally whining and pawing at Fukuda's cheek. "Where's Tamaki?"

Midorima ignored Tamaki's fool of a teammate who thought that a dog could understand his queries and somehow reply as he entered the house after Kagami and Kise without even bothering to remove his shoes. He had been to Tamaki's place a few times during their Teiko years—especially during the exam period, and he knew where everything is.

Having lived by herself after the deaths of her parents, Tamaki lives in a pretty modest one-room apartment. Her bedroom and sitting area are all in one area itself, with the kitchen and bathroom being in another area of her apartment.

"Tamaki!"

Kagami was the first one to reach Tamaki, who like Takao, had been lying on her bed, the NerveGear helmet over her head. Her game console was beside her, and both electronic devices were powered on.

"Oh God, no…!" Kise almost fell to the ground had Midorima had caught him by the arm. "Tamacchi…!"

Kagami reached out with a shaking hand towards Tamaki, and Furihata squeaked before grabbing Kagami's arm from behind him. "Don't! You can't take off the helmet, Kagami! You'll kill her if you do so!" Furihata reminded the pale Kagami, not looking so good himself. "Fukuda, the ambulance?"

"They'll be here in another ten or fifteen minutes!" Fukuda told Furihata, frantic. "They've been getting calls for SAO victims all over Tokyo. All the hospitals in Tokyo are full as a result! They're already sending several victims to several of the other government sectors."

"My father's hospital is expecting her." Midorima croaked, staring at Tamaki almost like he couldn't believe what he is seeing. "Takao is currently being brought there too."

"I've just called Coach." The bald head Seirin player—Kawahara or something, told his friends, hanging up his phone. "They're on their way."

"This can't be happening…!" Kagami whispered to himself, staring at Tamaki like she would somehow magically wake up. "This can't be happening!"

"It isn't your fault." Furihata tried to comfort Kagami. "The government will figure out a way to save Tamaki. I'm sure of it."

Midorima said nothing even as he stared at Tamaki, with all five boys and one dog in the apartment waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

This has to be a nightmare. It can't be true. He can't have lost two of his friends to a virtual world. They have to be all right. Nothing must happen to them.

A sudden horrific thought came to him just then as he thought about the reactions of all those who have known Tamaki.

Whatever would Akashi say about this once he'd arrived in Tokyo?

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><p><em>AN: The 'real world' chapters will be considerably shorter than the 'SAO world' chapters due to reasons. So for the next couple of 'real world' chapters, it will mainly be from the POVs of several other characters reacting to finding out that their friends have been trapped in a virtual reality. Tamaki isn't the only person whom they knew to be trapped in a game after all. _

_Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter and please read and review! Reviews give me inspiration to update!_


	3. Player Killers

**Pairings:** Shigehiro/Tamaki. Kirito/Asuna.

**Warnings:** AU Universe. OOC. Gender swap. Minor character bashing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basuke and Sword Art Online and any of the characters, but the OC characters belongs to me

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three: Player Killers<strong>

Kirito had disappeared not long after Kayaba Akihiko's announcement, intending to make his way towards the nearest town to gain supplies and better gear to tackle the first floor boss. As a beta tester, Kirito knew better than anyone else (save for perhaps the other beta testers) the layout of Aincard all the way to the tenth floor.

During the beta testing period, all the beta testers actually knew each other and have teamed up with every beta tester at least once during the testing period. Even the guidebook that is available to every single player at the item shop at the Town of Beginnings had actually been compiled and written by the beta testers themselves after they've compiled all the information that they have on the floor bosses and monsters, even the map layouts of each room and the traps, and even how to bypass it.

Tamaki and Takao would actually have liked to go with Kirito, but they were worried about their friends—the other beta testers, and had chosen to remain behind. Besides, they were concerned about Klein too and his insistence to find his friends, and they have assured Kirito that they would watch over him. And by some unspoken agreement, Caet, Ciav and Nirali have decided to stay behind with them to help them.

It wasn't too difficult for Klein to find his friends as they were all in a state of shock still in the town plaza of the Town of Beginnings after the death game announcement. Following that, the group of them have then decided to stick with each other. The situation with Tamaki and Ciav (Shigehiro) was a little tense however.

As all the inns in the Town of Beginnings were full as a result of every single player being trapped in the game itself, they have opted to camp out instead as the weather in Sword Art Online is set to be sunny throughout, no matter what, unless you headed to an area that had the climate set to snow or even a typhoon.

Issin, Harry One, Dale, Dynamm and Kunimittz were the names of Klein's friends, as Klein had introduced when they've found them in the town plaza of the Town of Beginnings. They were all relatively friendly people, though they were of course terrified like every single one of them due to the death game announcement. Much like Klein, most of them have picked either the Swordsman or even the Samurai job classes. Issin is the only one amongst them who had picked the Swashbuckler job class.

"Looks like we're going to be in for a long night." Caet murmured even as he placed down the armfuls of sticks that he'd found by Takao's side, even as the two slowly tried to make a bonfire.

"Tell me about it." Takao sighed even as he brought up the menu interface to make a bonfire. Within moments, a large fire is burning merrily in front of them. "I seriously doubt that anyone would be sleeping at all tonight."

The lot of them have headed to the meadows in the West Field where Kirito, Tamaki and Takao have taken Klein earlier to teach him the fundamentals and battle basics of Sword Art Online. As the enemies here wouldn't attack them as long as they don't attack first, they'll be fine camping out in this zone.

"I still can't believe it." Issin murmured, apparently still in a state of shock. "To think that we're really all trapped in this game." He looked at Klein hopefully. "Do…you think that Kayaba Akihiko is joking when he said that we'll die for real if we die here?"

Nirali snorted from where he is messing about with his menu interface—apparently picking a sub job class before deciding on the sub job of a blacksmith. With the looks of things, they're going to be sticking together to party for some time, and hopefully, maybe form a guild sometime in the future. And a blacksmith would be helpful to all of them, seeing as Nirali's job class as a Defender isn't really much good at offensive techniques, but will be invaluable to them as a tank.

"You'd better believe it." Nirali turned tired-looking eyes towards the five new additions to their group. He had the same eyes that Tamaki had once seen nearly a month after the championship league match when Mochida Kanata aka Nirali had given Ogiwara Shigehiro's black wristband to her and had given her Shigehiro's last message. "That guy doesn't sound like he's joking. And I seriously doubt that anyone is insane enough to test out that theory—to test out if we would really die for real if we die in SAO."

There was deadly silence around the clearing before Dale broke it, his face pale. "What should we do now? Tackle the first floor?"

"Not until the lot of you have levelled up a bit first." Takao interrupted, a serious look in his eyes, knowing from what he'd seen from their Player Visual Interface earlier that all five of them (save for Klein) are currently at level five. "It is suicide if you try to tackle the first floor of the dungeon if you're below level twelve." He warned, and Klein got an understanding look in his eyes, as he understood now why Caet wanted to get to level fifteen by the end of the first day in SAO. "To be on the safe side, we need to be at least at level eighteen, especially if you want to face the first floor boss."

"So I guess we'll be levelling up tomorrow then." Klein sighed. "Maybe we should form parties then?" He mused, wondering how they're going to split into two different parties, as SAO only allows up to six players to be in the same party.

It actually used to be four players in one party during the beta testing period, but many beta testers have given feedback that it is difficult to face certain monsters and even floor bosses with just four people. Hence when the game was officially released, the game company had capped the maximum number of party members to six.

"By the way, where are Ciav and Tsuyu?" Harry One asked curiously, looking around for their two unofficial leaders.

"Over there." Takao jerked his thumb backwards over his shoulder. "Let's leave them alone." He had a small smile on his face as he exchanged looks with Nirali who smiled knowingly at him. "I have a feeling that those two have a lot to talk about."

Nirali chuckled. "I second that."

* * *

><p>For lack of a better word, the atmosphere is almost…<em>tense<em> between Tamaki and Shigehiro as they sat side-by-side amongst the sweet smelling grass, admiring the full moon in the sky, not looking at the other.

"So…" Shigehiro was the first one to try to break the tense silence. Honestly, he could hardly believe that he had been partying with the same person whom he badly wanted to see and apologise to, and yet had chickened out every single time whenever he brought out his phone. Just what are the odds? "Uh…" The orange haired teen looked at the petite teal haired girl next to him. "How's Seijuro? He's not in this game, right?" He asked tentatively.

From what Shigehiro know of Seijuro from the time when they were kids, the redhead doesn't seem like the type to play online games. And if he isn't with Tamaki, then chances are that he probably never even got the game. Come to think of, where did the two cousins attend high school again? The same school like they did back in middle school? Or maybe different schools this time due to their future job aspirations?

"No, he didn't. He never had much interest in games. You know that, Shige-kun." Tamaki managed a small smile at him—a gesture that he returned. There was silence for several moments before Tamaki sighed. "I'm sorry." Shigehiro looked at his childhood best friend with surprise. "The last championship league match… I should have kept a better eye on them. Or better yet, kept them under better control." Her eyes darkened as she remembered just how downhill that the team that she and her cousin have created from scratch since first year had gone.

"It's not your fault." Shigehiro interrupted, and Tamaki turned to look at him only to see understanding in Shigehiro's eyes. "I've heard of the problems that your team had been having from Seijuro before Teiko's match against my school when we've met up for dinner after the qualifying rounds during the Nationals. He's mentioned how the team had turned out during our third year. Just because you both are the captain and vice-captain of the team doesn't mean you automatically have magical powers." Shigehiro said forcefully. "You can't dictate everything that your team does. Hell, if I tell you the number of times that a member of Meiko's team had gotten into trouble just because they don't think before they act, you'll be surprised. Mochida is Meiko's captain, and even _he_ can't always control his team members, especially the regulars." Shigehiro grinned as he saw a smile from Tamaki. "It's not your fault. I've never blamed you." The orange haired teen insisted. "I just…needed to get away from basketball for awhile. That's why I left." He admitted. "I might go back to basketball eventually. Maybe. But for now, I just want a break from basketball."

Tamaki said nothing for several moments. "…First thing on our list to do tomorrow," she said at last, bringing the topic back to the situation on hand: finding a way out of this game. "We have to level up a bit more, and also teach Klein's friends the fundamentals of the game. They are most possibly new players to MMOs, as they didn't even seem to be aware that we could pick sub job classes in this game, and that simple things like making a bonfire and all that are available to everyone in the menu interface."

Shigehiro nodded slowly, seeing the wisdom in Tamaki's suggestion. To clear the first floor successfully, let alone tackling the floor boss, they have to first get to a decent level and get decent gear since facing a floor boss with starter gear and equipment, no matter their level, is akin to suicide. And to earn more Col in SAO, they not only have to complete quests, but to also fight as many monsters as possible. As monsters respawn in the monster fields in SAO, they don't have to worry about running out of enemies to fight.

"Let's have a strategy meeting first thing tomorrow." Shigehiro said with a teasing smile, knowing from their beta tester days that _everyone_ always turns to Tamaki when it comes to strategy and tactics, since her strategies are damn effective. Hence why Tamaki is relatively famous in the online community, particularly amongst the beta testers.

"Yes, but I'm a little concerned about how things would turn out in the next couple of days, especially if players start getting trouble clearing the first floor or even tackling the first floor boss, maybe even resulting in deaths." Tamaki sighed, getting to her feet. She stared at the moon for several moments before turning to face Shigehiro. "Especially how bad things would turn out for us—the beta testers."

Shigehiro was confused. "What do you mean?" he asked, perplexed. How would things turn out for the beta testers?

Tamaki shook her head. "You'll soon see what I mean," she said mysteriously. "I hope that I'm wrong. But something tells me that I'm right."

**XXXXXX**

A month had passed ever since the game had begun, and after Kayaba Akihiko's shocking announcement to over 10,000 SAO players—that Sword Art Online had now became a true death game in every sense of the word, and dying here means actually dying for real in the real world.

Throughout that one month, a little over two thousand people have died, trying to clear the first floor. Whatever people that didn't believe a single word that Kayaba Akihiko had said, choosing to live in blissful ignorance were thus forced to believe that Kayaba Akihiko had meant every word, and that if they die in this game, they _will_ die for real.

Guilds and parties were hastily formed not long after the announcement about the death game, as every single player had learned by now that trying to conquer the floors and the floor bosses solo is akin to suicide. There are great limits to what one could do as a solo player.

Tamaki, Takao, Shigehiro, Nirali _(aka Mochida),_ Klein and even his friends have all decided to stick together to party as a group, finding safety in numbers, especially in a game like Sword Art Online where it means instant death if your HP falls to zero. Klein's friends were quick to catch onto the fundamentals of the game and trained hard to catch up to the level of the rest of the group so as to not drag them down once they decide to tackle the first floor of Aincard's dungeon.

Within two weeks after the death game announcement, an unspoken rule had hereby been agreed on amongst all of the SAO players—that no matter what, whether in duels or fights amongst solo players or even guilds, no one is to let another person's HP drop to zero, since doing so is as good as murder.

Shigehiro had taken responsibility over maintaining their stock of health replenishing potions and even status aliment healing potions, especially since they never know when they would need it. As not a single member of their group had taken on the sub job class of a pharmacist—someone who creates potions and status aliment healers or inflictors by combining various items—usually monster drops, they have to resort to restocking their potions' supply from the item shops.

Tamaki's group have concentrated on levelling out and maxing out their battle skills for a month, including earning as much Col as they possibly could via fulfilling quests and killing monsters in order to get better equipment and better gear. With beta testers amongst their group, they knew exactly what lies for them in the first floor dungeon, what monsters to expect, and even what to expect from the first floor boss.

Several groups before them have already met their ends due to under preparation for the first floor boss, and thus, all of them have agreed to at least get to level twenty three before deciding to take on the first floor boss, since their numbers aren't exactly what one would expect from a raid party. Some might call it over preparation or even over levelling, but like what Shigehiro would argue—better over preparation than under preparation.

Illfang the Kobold Lord had been the first floor boss, and also the first monster that they've seen in Aincard with sword skills. But due to diligently training with each other, being at a decent level, and also having Tamaki hashing out a proper strategy for them, they've managed to take down the floor boss with little difficulty, also gaining a decent amount of Col at the same time.

A few groups before them have already cleared the first floor dungeon, including a friendly man by the name of Agil that wields the sub class of a Merchant whom they've met in an inn when Tamaki and Shigehiro were negotiating with the inn owner for the prices of two inn rooms.

He was more than happy to fill them in on the latest happenings, including the death of a fellow beta tester Diavel who had put together a raid party the size of seven parties—made up of mainly solo players and even small guilds to tackle the first floor boss. Shigehiro and Tamaki were also surprised to hear of Kirito's involvement in this raid party. Klein was of course relieved to hear that Kirito is still alive, but saddened and angry to hear that majority of the raid party that Kirito had joined have blamed him for the deaths of their party members just because of his status as a beta tester.

The new term of a 'beater' aka a beta tester who keeps important information to themselves begun spreading around all of Aincard within the next few days after Tamaki's group's arrival to the second floor. And with all the high tempers as well as the unjustified resentment that most players have towards the beta testers, all of them have agreed to keep quiet about their statuses as beta testers in the game.

Klein and his friends however found it very difficult to keep their mouths shut and their tempers down, especially whenever they overheard some idiot badmouthing beta testers, and that they should all just die instead.

More than once, even as Tamaki lie in her bed at night, she wonders just what is going on in the real world. Is there anyone doing anything in the situation that they're currently in? What of her friends? Are they frightened or panicked even? Can they even manage to clear all one hundred floors when just the first floor dungeon alone is already turning players against each other?

Honestly, the situation in Aincard is turning out for the worst, just as Tamaki had feared would happen, particularly with the deaths of a little over two thousand players in the game within the first month alone.

**XXXXXX**

"_Anchor Howl!"_

"Now's our chance!"

It wasn't too long before the area was wiped clean of monsters, and the 'Congratulations' windows appeared in front of each of them, including the amount of Col and experience that they have earned.

Tamaki sighed, sheathing her new twin blades into the holsters attached at the back of her waist. "Let's take a break," she suggested, turning towards her other party members—since that is what they are.

There were sighs of relief and agreement at that, since they've been battling monsters since the moment they've woken up that morning and had Shigehiro who had the Chef profession cook them breakfast. Just like in nearly all MMORPGs, a player need to have the profession of a Chef, Crafter, Blacksmith, Pharmacist etc, in order to complete actions related to that profession itself. If someone that doesn't have the profession of a Chef for example tries to use a cooking skill, the end result will only turn out to be a failed dish.

"Let's see what we've got today." Caet grunted, bringing up his menu interface and looking at the list of monster drops that the rest of his party members have gained via battling monsters.

It had been a system that they've set up from the first time when they've started partying together—Klein will be the party leader of the party made up of him and his five friends whilst Tamaki will be the party leader of the others, though depending on the situation, sometimes, Shigehiro will be the leader.

At the end of each day, they will usually pool together the monster drops that they've gained throughout the day, and see if Nirali (Mochida) who is the Blacksmith of their group and Caet who is the Crafter of their group could create any useful items depending on what they've got. On one hand, they could probably save on a couple of Col by creating items that they would most probably have to go to item shops to get, and on the other hand, it could also help Caet and Nirali to max out their profession skill faster, and enable them to create higher quality items.

"Well?" Takao asked absently, checking on the durability of his weapons and gear like all of them do after each day. It won't be funny if their gear or equipment gives out in the middle of a fight. Hence why all of them tend to bring backup weapons with them as well.

"I think that I can make some rings to increase our hit and vitality." Nirali said at last before telling his friends the monster drops that he wanted, and the rest of them then gave it to him via gifts. Caet did the same thing, and for several minutes, the rest of them were silent as Nirali and Caet crafted or smithed the necessary accessories and items and splitting the items equally amongst all of them.

"Damn it! How long must this go on?" Klein snapped at last, lying down on his back, facing the sky. "And I can't stand how most of the people talks about the 'beaters' or the beta testers!"

"That's not all that we have to worry about as well." Tamaki sighed even as she brought up her menu interface to equip the new ring accessory that Nirali had just smithed for them. As an Assassin, hit, vitality and agility are amongst the stats that she had worked on improving the most. She looked at her friends. "Ciav, Kaz and myself have been around the town earlier—even back down to the first floor. The law and order of Aincard are steadily getting worse, it seems."

"Yeah, especially amongst the guilds." Caet said grimly. One has to be blind and deaf to _not_ see the tense atmosphere surrounding Aincard. "The larger and more powerful guilds have been recruiting aggressively, thus building their power. And the smaller and mid-sized guilds are steadily getting smaller. It's as if everyone who isn't a member of their guild is considered an enemy."

"The solo players are steadily getting hunted down, as are those who were once the beta testers for SAO." Klein added, a worried expression on his face as he exchanged looks with his friends, wondering what it would mean for Kirito and about half of them here.

"And from the _SAO Daily,_ it seems that the number of victims to PKs has been steadily increasing." Dynamm added, bringing up his item menu and making the daily newspaper appear in a flash of blue light in his hand—something that could be bought at the item shop for a mere 50 Col. "See?" He raised the newspaper so that everyone could see the headlines.

"PK, huh?" Shigehiro mused. He glanced at Tamaki beside him who looked worried. "Have you anticipated this as well?" He asked, knowing of Tamaki's prowess over strategy and tactics, even in gaming. Hell, her abilities as a tactician are almost…_god-like._

"I did expect something like this to happen, yes, but I didn't think that it would happen this soon." Tamaki admitted. "Player Killer, huh?" A dark expression entered her eyes. "The attacking of fellow players instead of monsters, and stealing their items and money… It's a deed of the lowest of the low." Tamaki said grimly. She looked around at all the faces around her. Tamaki herself, Takao, Caet, Shigehiro and even Nirali (Mochida) are all regular faces (or names) at online forum boards and communities, and aren't new to online games. But for Klein and their friends, this is probably the first time that they've came across a term like this, especially if they're new to MMORPGs. "In most MMORPGs, Player Kill comes with the territory—it comes with the game. In some games, it is actually encouraged." She explained, much to their horror.

"Yeah, I've played games like this in the past—where they actually _encourage_ you to be a Player Killer." Caet admitted. "Needless to say, the personalities of the people who've actually played games like this change drastically as they enjoy the thrill of hunting fellow players and killing them."

"Terrible…" Dale murmured, his face pale. "How can anyone enjoy playing like this?"

"This is the dark side of online games." Nirali pointed out grimly. "As you don't don your real face, but uses an avatar in online games, most people could commit crimes in the online community without suffering the consequences as they would in the real world. Robbery. Thievery. Assault. Bullying. Extortion. And the worst crime ever, Player Kill."

Klein's face turned a sickly green at that, and his friends aren't that far behind.

"But that is…!"

"Yeah. Player Kill had always been a major problem in most MMORPGs." Takao pointed out, a dark expression appearing in his eyes. "But in those games, no one really cared, as it doesn't have any major penalties. But in SAO, it's different."

His words sent a chill down everyone's spines, and the cold night air doesn't make things any better. There was a long silence between them before Klein broke the uneasy silence, unable to bring himself to meet anyone's eyes, fiddling his fingers together.

"There is an unspoken rule in this game ever since a month and a half ago—a golden rule that everyone made sure to stick to, no matter what." Klein croaked, his face pale. "Because in SAO, if we let someone's HP drop to zero, they will die for real. It is no different from murder!"

"Most probably from those few that refused to believe that if someone dies in this game, they die for real." Caet grunted, narrowing his eyes dangerously, knowing that there are still a fair number of people still in denial about the situation that they're in. "PK. Player Killing. Also known as the red players." He murmured, referring to the fact that in SAO, if a player keeps killing a fellow player continuously, their player cursor will permanently turn red after the fifth murder.

"In other words, the murderers." Shigehiro grunted, folding his arms across his chest. "I've noticed this the first week when we have arrived at the second floor, and I've accompanied Tsuyu and Kaz shopping for supplies." It became a rule amongst Tamaki, Shigehiro, Mochida and Takao who knew each other's real names to continue using their character names to address each other whilst they are still playing Sword Art Online unless they're alone. "Everyone is panicking and falling into a state of despair. And there are players who would also take advantage of the situation to showcase their power, or maybe taste the thrill of what it is like to kill or hurt someone."

"And I've been hearing rumours of a certain guild who had been trying to make alliances with other guilds, or even recruiting aggressively. There has been talk that they are trying to form a raid party also known as the lead group—the ones responsible to clear the dungeons first." Tamaki added. "Knights of Blood Oath, I think. The leader is a man by the name of Heathcliff."

A period of long silence fell amongst them, only interrupted occasionally by the monster cries of the enemies in the monster fields around them. But as they've retreated to a safe area within the monster field, no monster would attack them.

"If Aincard remains in this state, it will be disastrous." Caet summarised what is on everyone's minds. "Especially now with everyone focused on clearing all one hundred floors of Aincard, they don't even care what they have to do in order to achieve it. And to be honest? I don't blame them."

"In-game crimes, huh?" Tamaki sighed. "Right now, of the various guilds that existed, most of those guilds are the small scale ones, with less than thirty members. But there are a few large guilds that are slowly but steadily gaining power. Those are the guilds that have basically taken on the roles of keeping power and order in check in Aincard."

"Guilds like the Knights of Blood Oath who had been leading the clearing group thus far." Shigehiro ticked off on his fingers. "The Holy Dragon Alliance and even the Aincard Liberation Force. There have also been a few mid-sized guilds that have been steadily growing in power."

"In other words, you're saying that it is those guilds that are now basically the ones that keep the law and order in Aincard now, due to the power and influence that they now wield?" Harry One asked, a frown on his face.

"Honestly, all of us have seen this coming. With this death game, the ugliness of human nature will be exposed sooner or later." Caet added. "Right now, the main problem is PK. And not to mention that there are a few players who have basically become 'hunters' – hunting down the beta testers. And the worst thing here? The other players didn't see it as a crime. The hatred towards the beta testers is steadily getting out of hand."

"I've heard rumours of a guild going around PKing players as well." Nirali said with a frown, exchanging looks with his fellow beta testers. "No matter what, we've got to be careful."

"Come on, we should return to the inn." Tamaki said, getting to her feet.

There were murmurs of agreement from the others as one by one, they slowly got to their feet, dusting dust off their clothes.

A shrill scream echoed in the distance.

* * *

><p>"No…! No! No! Isao! Isao!" A meek looking brunette wearing a dark blue and black tunic with brown leather boots and gear cried out, sprawling to the side of a dark haired teen who is glowing slightly with blue and green light surrounding his body. There were even three players dressed in black capes concealing their faces around him.<p>

Isao smiled at him. "Live on… Kris…" he croaked before his body dissolved into hundreds of pale green hexagonal shards.

Kris turned to stare at the three black-caped players with fear in his eyes. "Why are you doing this? Why did you kill everyone?" he cried, feeling true fear for the first time in his life as the three caped players advanced on him with their weapons raised.

There was nothing but silence as the middle man raised his weapon—a knife-like dagger before bringing it down onto Kris—only to have his weapon knocked away by a short blade with a simple guard – a weapon often favoured by those of the Assassin class.

Tamaki's eyes narrowed dangerously even as she yanked Kris to his feet and hid him behind her even as the rest of her friends turned up, huffing and puffing. Truly, Tamaki as an Assassin is the fastest in the speed stat amongst them.

"Player Killer." Shigehiro snarled. He glanced at the shaking brunette behind Tamaki, with the teal haired girl still having a firm grip on his arm. "Hey. You. What happened here?"

"They killed my guild!" Kris cried out, tears welling in his eyes. "They killed them! Isao, Mavis and Eikas! They killed them!"

The eyes of the others widened in shock and horror.

"Usually, I would stay out of the affairs of other guilds and parties." Tamaki narrowed her eyes dangerously. "But unfortunately, I can't just pretend that I didn't see this. You do know what it means if someone's HP falls to zero in this game, don't you? What you're doing is nothing less than murder!"

Dark chuckling came from the three PK players. "There is no actual proof that proves that killing someone here would mean that they actually die in real life." The middle man spoke with a dark undertone.

Shigehiro closed his eyes momentarily. The situation is worse than they'd expected. "Tsuyu, can you allow me to handle this?" he murmured, stepping forward and drawing out his two blades by his sides. "I'd rather not do anything too gory, but I got a feeling that if we don't do something here, more people are going to fall victim to you."

"You know who we are then?" The second robed person raised his head, and a pair of glowing red eyes were visible beneath his black cape.

"The red guild, the Player Killing guild." Shigehiro stated, almost in monotone. _"Laughing Coffin."_

**XXXXXX**

"Thank you very much." The brunette whispered, raising his eyes from the cup of tea clutched in between his hands.

Not too far away, Shigehiro is seated on one of the beds in the inn room that Tamaki, Shigehiro, Takao, Nirali and Caet shared amongst themselves; examining the damage done to his weapons when he'd clashed blades with the leader of the trio earlier before those three have decided to cut their losses and leave.

"So that's the infamous red guild, huh?" Klein mused, currently standing by the door with his arms crossed over his chest, a frown on his face. "The Killer Guild." He glanced at Tamaki who is seated beside Shigehiro who nodded grimly. "What are we going to do about him?" He asked, glancing at the brunette. "We can't leave him like this. Not with the situation in Aincard now."

There was a long silence as no one spoke for a long time. Finally, the teal haired girl stood up and took a seat next to the brunette whom they'd rescued from being PKed earlier. "What is your name?" she asked.

"…Kris."

"Kris, huh?" Tamaki glanced at Shigehiro and the rest of her friends who nodded—knowing what Tamaki had in mind. "We're not exactly a guild—but merely a group of…friends who partied together. I won't force you, but it's not safe for you to go about alone. Do…you want to come with us?"

Kris looked up at Tamaki hopefully, with hope shining in those large chocolate brown eyes that almost made the usually expressionless girl cringe. Honestly, doing something bad towards this kid almost made one feel as if they are kicking a downed puppy.

"Yes! If you'll have me!" Kris croaked, tears welling up in his eyes. "Isao, Mavis and Eikas… They are my buddies from middle school, and we've formed a guild together. I'm weak, and not much good as a Swordsman or even a Pharmacist. I've only made it this far only because of my friends… So if you'll still have me after this…!"

Tamaki exchanged looks and slight smiles with the rest of her friends who nodded, though all of them are still angry with the three PK players from earlier. _Laughing Coffin…_ There had only been vague rumours about them thus far, with it only being a month and a half since they've been trapped in the game—nearly two months now.

Tamaki herself had ran into a leader of a small guild just a week ago at the marketplace when she'd been stocking up on restorative potions, and the guild leader had told her that his guild had been ambushed and robbed by several orange players—all whom wore black capes with this weird symbol that looks somewhat like a creepy smiling face on the backs of their left gloves.

"But it seems like what we've spoken about earlier is now turning out to be a major problem." Klein spoke up, a frown on his face. "Player Killing… We can't leave this be, can we? I mean, enough people are going to get killed just by trying to clear the dungeons. But if we add in the Player Killers in the midst…"

There was silence for a long time.

"Tsuyu." Shigehiro was the first to speak up, and as one, everyone turned towards him. The orange haired teen's eyes were thoughtful and he had a contemplative look on his face. "Let's create a guild." He suggested. "A guild to stop the Player Killers."

Takao smirked. "Exactly what I was thinking," he crowed.

Tamaki was silent for a long time. Honestly, with just how many beta testers there are amongst their midst, it is only going to be a matter of time before the 'hunters' start realising who they are.

Lots of players in SAO have been regular visitors to a forum board created not long after the announcement of Sword Art Online, and the beta testers who have tested the game—Tamaki and Takao included, have been regular visitors to that forum, along with most of the other beta testers in the game. Those visitors knew who the beta testers are, along with their character names. And with how…_popular_ Tamaki had been amongst the beta testers, it is only a matter of time before other regular players start realising who she is. On the other hand, the Player Killers are a major problem, without a doubt. One that they can't ignore.

Finally, Tamaki sighed. "…We need a name at least," she said, giving in at last, and making the rest of her friends grin at each other triumphantly.

"I already have one in mind." Shigehiro grinned. "Phantom Blue."

Klein who is about to open his mouth to suggest a guild name closed his mouth again, looking really thoughtful. For some reason, that name kind of fits…albeit in a strange odd way.

"It kind of suits you, Tsuyu." Takao grinned, looking at Shigehiro and Tamaki, and wondering if Shigehiro is even aware of Tamaki's nickname around the basketball circuit—both high school and middle school.

Meanwhile, Caet who had been really quiet is looking at Tsuyu curiously with a raised brow, wondering if she is that 'Mirage' that he had been hearing rumours about ever since a certain group of basketball geniuses had started taking the basketball world by storm. Kris on the other hand stared at Tamaki curiously, unknowingly thinking along the same lines as Caet.

Tamaki's right eye twitched with annoyance as she glared at a grinning Shigehiro. "Is that a jibe at me?" she huffed.

"Now. Now. Let's just create a guild first of all before you start lecturing Ciav, shall we, 'Guild Leader'?" Nirali interrupted, with amusement in his voice.

Tamaki groaned, wondering when was it when _she_ had been appointed as the leader. Regardless, she brought up the menu interface, knowing that Shigehiro will just keep badgering her until she does, clicking on the Create Guild button before typing in the desired name—Phantom Blue, sending out guild invites to the rest of them, including Kris. She however, added Shigehiro and Takao as deputy leaders—with the two holding the same privileges that she does over the guild as a whole.

"Here's to our new guild, Phantom Blue!" Takao pumped a fist into the air. "Banzai!"

**XXXXXX**

The real problems are however just beginning, especially when rumours started going around Aincard—about the beta testers that have withheld information to themselves, aka the 'beaters'. And it wasn't long before the Phantom Blue guild became known as a guild of 'beaters', despite being one of the guilds in the lead group—the Clearers.

* * *

><p><em>AN: And done! As the main character is Tamaki and not Kirito, I won't be exactly following the anime, though I generally will still be following the canon storyline. Next chapter will have Akashi's appearance, and possibly the reactions of the Seirin team._

_Kuroko Tamaki: Assassin (Tsuyu)  
><em>_Takao Kazunari: Swordsman (Kaz)  
><em>_Mayuzumi Chihiro: Samurai, Crafter (Caet)  
><em>_Ogiwara Shigehiro: Swashbuckler, Chef (Ciav)  
><em>_Mochida Kanata: Defender, Blacksmith (Nirali)  
><em>_Sakurai Ryou: Swordsman, Pharmacist (Kris)_

_Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review! Reviews give me inspiration to update!_


	4. Reactions

Thank you to all those who have reviewed or placed this story on your favourites or alerts. You've just about made my day when I read the reviews, and how much you've enjoyed it.

_Sub Professions:_ The reason why Takao, Tamaki and Mayuzumi don't have sub professions just yet in the SAO game is because they haven't yet decided on their sub professions. I'm also debating on Tamaki, Takao and Mayuzumi's sub professions, so it would be a big help to me if you have any suggestions.

_About Sakurai:_ I think some of you have gotten the time frame of this story a little mixed up. The events of the SAO Incident takes place a little after the Shutoku versus Seirin Inter High match, but _before_ Seirin had even met Touou or Momoi—hence, Seirin hadn't had their match against Touou yet. Thus, Tamaki wouldn't have known Sakurai, as she hadn't met him.

_Sakurai's guild members:_ Don't worry, the deaths in this story are either going to be minor characters or the deaths of those in canon. So the deaths of Isao, Mavis and Eikas _(Sakurai's guild members before he'd joined Phantom Blue)_ are original characters—his buddies from middle school, and they are _not_ Touou players!

_Online forum:_ Yes, I'm still on the fence about this bit—if the SAO players can at least have a little contact with the real world via the forum. My idea about it is that the forum is locked after the SAO Incident, so only the SAO players can access the forum and at least post postings on it—so at least the real world can have updates about what's going on in the game.

_The Floor Boss:_ I guess I've made a little mistake about this one. I've plain forgotten that in SAO, once the floor boss is defeated, it won't appear again. I would probably go back and fix that part, so thanks for the heads up.

**Pairings:** Shigehiro/Tamaki. Kirito/Asuna.

**Warnings:** AU Universe. OOC. Gender swap. Minor character bashing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basuke and Sword Art Online and any of the characters, but the OC characters belongs to me

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><p><strong>Chapter Four: Reactions<strong>

For Kagami Taiga, he learned about the SAO Incident—like what the general populace have been calling it in the streets of Shibuya when he had tagged along with Furihata, Fukuda and Kawahara for some shopping.

With their victory against Shutoku just a mere week ago, and not to mention the crazy moves that he'd done during that game to etch out a win for his team, his basketball shoes were worn down by the time the game is over, much to Kagami's annoyance, as he had just bought the shoes about two months ago. And the model of his basketball shoes isn't easy to get in Japan.

As Furihata, Fukuda and Kawahara wanted to go shopping to get some decent basketball gear as well, Kagami had offered to go with them, as he knew the best places and shops to get the best basketball gear. Fukuda had actually invited Tamaki to go with them that afternoon, but the teal haired girl had declined, saying that she had a gaming session scheduled with Takao and a few other online gaming buddies that day, much to their amusement.

To be honest, Kagami doesn't see the hype and all the fuss over the NerveGear and the new _Sword Art Online_ game that was also developed by the same company that had produced the NerveGear. But when he listened to Furihata, Fukuda and Kawahara rave about it, he admitted to himself that it does sound great.

Nearly half the team have made Tamaki promise to loan them her copy of Sword Art Online once she's done with it, unless they could get further copies of the game. Izuki and Koganei in particular were excited about the game, and could barely shut up for days after the official announcement of the game launch was released. They were probably the most upset about failing to get a copy of the game because they got to the store too late.

It took the four Seirin freshmen nearly four hours just to get all their shopping done, with how _picky_ that they were over their basketball gear, especially Kagami who is especially particular about his shoe model and the specs, and not to mention that the model that he usually buys rarely have his shoe size in Japan. During his middle school years, he usually got his parents to airmail it to him from America.

It wasn't until they saw an emergency news report broadcasted on the large electronic bulletin board in the streets of Shibuya when all four were alerted to the Sword Art Online incident, and just what it meant for more than 10,000 players all over Japan.

Kagami's eyes went wide as he, along with virtually every single person in the streets of Shibuya craned their necks to look up at the video feed of the news announcer on the screen, a solemn look on her face.

The words spoken by the news announcer almost flew over his head, and for several moments, he found himself unable to believe what it is that he's hearing. At least until the video feed on the board showed that of several people who have died when their families and friends have tried to remove their NerveGear in the hopes of waking them up.

"…Kagami…" Furihata sounded oddly spooked, his face pale.

Kagami nodded dumbly, feeling his heart sinking down to his boots. He had hoped that Tamaki _hadn't _played that game yet. But he is no fool. That game is all that Izuki and Koganei could talk about during lunch time, and with the number of times that her phone kept buzzing repeatedly throughout class that day _(it is almost a marvel that the teachers never caught her),_ Kagami knew that the chances of Tamaki playing the game that day is high.

"…Let's go to Tamaki's house." Fukuda said urgently. "Kagami, do you know where she lives?"

"Yes, this way!" Kagami took the lead, heading towards the Shibuya train station first of all, all the while trying to get through to Tamaki's phone. However, no one picked up the phone.

A train was already pulling into the station when they've stepped through the tolling machines, and rushed to board the train. The train ride towards the nearest station near Tamaki's home isn't too long. But to the four Seirin freshmen, it seems to take an eternity.

Even as the train pulled in at the station, and Kagami led his teammates towards the direction of Tamaki's house, he kept dialling her number, getting steadily frustrated and panicked with each call. The redhead knew where his partner's house is, having taken her home once when she'd gotten ill about a month back, and had almost fainted in class.

Their homeroom teacher who seems to be about the only teacher in all of Seirin High who _doesn't_ overlook her or think of her as 'the quiet girl who doesn't talk' seems to be the only teacher who even noticed that his student is ill, despite the fact that he doesn't have a class with them on the day that Tamaki is ill. He had even told Kagami to take Tamaki home and make sure that she actually gets home—with the homeroom teacher having files on all his students, and he knew that Tamaki is actually an orphan who lives alone.

"Kagami, can you get through?" Fukuda asked urgently even as they struggled to keep up with Kagami's longer legs even as they raced through the streets.

"No one's answering!" Kagami replied, frustrated.

"Keep trying!"

The four Seirin freshmen—Kagami especially, have never ran as fast as they ever had in their entire lives even as they sped down the streets, easily breaking their own speed record during afternoon drills for basketball practice. Kagami who is at the lead of the group was faintly surprised to see Midorima and Kise standing at Tamaki's front door, banging on it loudly.

Tamaki's next door neighbour—a kind hearted elderly lady who is a retired nurse even stepped out of her house, wondering what is going on. Kagami had been acquainted with Hitomi-san when Tamaki had been ill, with the elderly lady advising him on what to do, and what medication to get at the local pharmacy after Tamaki had told Kagami where to find her health card whilst in a delirious state.

Apparently, Hitomi-san had always made sure to look out for the young girl ever since she had moved next door, and after hearing from Yuki-san that Tamaki's parents are both dead. She sometimes even brought over home cooked food or soup for Tamaki when she had cooked a little extra. Privately however, Kagami is fairly sure that Hitomi cooked a little too much 'on accident'.

Kise had an almost frantic look on his face as he looked on the verge of breaking the front door down, all the while banging on the door loudly.

"Tamaki! Open up!" Midorima banged on the door as well. It was then when the green head noticed the presences of Kagami and his teammates, and the almost frantic looks on their faces.

"We saw the news!" Kagami almost stumbled over his words, trying to speak as fast as he could. "Is Tamaki not answering the door?"

"I've been banging on her door for the past thirty minutes!" Kise cried out, almost throwing his hands up in frustration. "She's not answering!"

The blonde actually looked to be on the verge of tears, and his face reflected the fear and terror that Kagami is sure is on his face too. The redhead then caught the sound of light panicked barking from behind the door, and realised with a sinking heart that Aoi is inside. And if the mutt is in there, then chances are that Tamaki is home too.

She never leaves her puppy alone at home. Hell, she even brought Aoi to school with her, though the puppy is usually left in the basketball club's changing room when she is in class, with a few of his dog toys and his basket to keep him occupied.

"Tamaki! Open up!" Midorima banged on the front door again, a panicked look on his face. Finally, he seems to realise that it is pointless, as he turned towards his former teammate. "I'm going to Yuki-san's!" He told Kise quickly. "I'll get Tamaki's spare key from her—"

"Don't bother." Kagami interrupted, already in the process of digging through his pockets for his key ring. Finally, he found it and pulled it out, holding Tamaki's house key in between his index finger and his thumb. Tamaki had made a duplicate of her key and had given one to him and one to their coach during the time when she got ill. "I got Tamaki's spare key. She gave it to me during the time when she got ill, and I took care of her."

Midorima looks like someone had just hit him in the head, but Kagami ignored it, trying to insert the key into the lock. But with how much that his hands have been shaking, he could barely steady it enough to unlock the door. Finally, Furihata took the key from Kagami and unlocked the door.

The events that followed after that were a blur to Kagami, but he definitely remember seeing Tamaki on her bed with the NerveGear over her head, and that Furihata had been the one to stop him from touching her, saying something about the helmet.

It was nearly thirty minutes before an ambulance had arrived—as all the hospitals in Japan were swamped with calls due to the SAO Incident. Thankfully, Midorima had phoned ahead to his father who is the director of a hospital, and thus, that particular hospital is already expecting Tamaki.

"It's not your fault." Fukuda told Kagami softly even as they watched the ambulance sped away towards the direction of the Midorima Municipal Hospital.

The arrival of the ambulance had attracted a lot of attention, and Hitomi-san looked ready to collapse when she'd seen the paramedics pushing Tamaki out on a stretcher, with Kawahara packing up the power plugs of the NerveGear and the game console and handing it to the paramedics so that they could reconnect the consoles to a power plug at the hospital. As only one person is allowed to ride with Tamaki in the ambulance to the hospital, they have voted for Midorima, as he is the only one that seems to be able to keep his cool about him.

"He's right, Kagami." Furihata tried to comfort the distressed redhead even as they tried to flag down a cab to take them to the hospital. "We'll figure this out. Besides, the computer geniuses in Japan will figure out a way to shut the NerveGear down safely. They'll fix this. Tamaki _will_ be fine." Furihata sounded almost as if he's trying to convince himself rather than his friends.

Kagami didn't know what to say. _What_ could they do in this situation? What _can_ they do anyway?

He's her partner. She had always been there to make sure that he doesn't get an inflated head or ego—like the time when she had slapped him in the face when he had started getting a little too full of himself during the Shutoku versus Seirin match. She had always been his anchor. His best friend. His _sister._

She had always been there to bail him out of trouble—especially with the way he handed in assignments full of wrong answers or even when he ended up sleeping in class. Hell, she had even put him through the Coaching Regime from Hell during the time when they have mock tests just before the match against Seiho and Shutoku. So why couldn't he do anything for her _now?_

Kagami had never felt so useless before in his entire life.

**XXXXXX**

It was a little past seven in the evening when the Seirin seniors have finally arrived at the hospital—all of them panicking over Fukuda's panicked call to Riko just hours earlier. Dr. Midorima had even dropped by after the arrivals of the Seirin seniors to tell them what he was just informed by the authorities, and what is going to happen from now on.

The Midorima Municipal Hospital itself had taken in a little over 200 victims of the SAO incident, as that is all that they could take in. The government is now using several unused and abandoned buildings and refurbishing them to make those buildings appropriate as a hospital, due to how swamped the other hospitals in Japan are. The computer geniuses in Japan are also all currently trying to figure out a way to either safely shut down the NerveGear or even rescue all the players within the game, but there is no luck so far.

Kayaba Akihiko knew what he had been doing when he had locked the servers of the game—thus preventing anyone from logging in or logging out. Even the man himself had been found with a NerveGear over his head. He is currently in the police hospital, kept under strict guard around the clock.

At any rate, until they could come up with something, all the players in the game would thus be trapped in there.

"How could this happen?" Izuki murmured. "We were just talking this morning during break too."

"Has Yuki-san been informed?" Riko asked Furihata.

"We were in her restaurant when her cousin called." Midorima interrupted before Furihata could answer. "I called Yuki-san just before you came, informing her of the situation. She's meeting with a government official now, with her being the closest blood relation to Tamaki, and her guardian furthermore."

There was silence for several moments as the seriousness of the situation caved in. What is going on in the virtual reality right now? What is happening? Does the players even know that they are currently trapped in the game?

"I don't even want to know what Akashi-cchi would say once he gets here." Kise murmured, still ashen-faced. "Why is this happening?"

* * *

><p><em>AN: I know I promised Akashi's appearance in this chapter, but it looks like it would be the chapter after next. Someone had asked about the implications and consequences that it would have on official events like sports tournaments for instance. This issue would be addressed in the chapter after next._

_Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review! Reviews give me inspiration to update!_


	5. On the Other Side

**Pairings:** Shigehiro/Tamaki. Kirito/Asuna.

**Warnings:** AU Universe. OOC. Gender swap. Minor character bashing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basuke and Sword Art Online and any of the characters, but the OC characters belongs to me

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five: On the Other Side<strong>

Nearly five months had passed since they have gotten trapped in the game, and things for the beta testers have improved—because some of the more sensible and level headed players have argued that fighting amongst themselves won't help any matters. And if the beta testers have been keeping info to themselves just to get out of this death game, who could blame them? Honestly, if it had been any of them, they would probably have done the same thing too.

Phantom Blue had gotten really well known within weeks after their creation—as they've conquered the fifth and sixth floor bosses with just two parties – twelve people in total when usually, a normal raid party consisted of least five to seven parties. Tamaki is pretty sure however as the further they go up Aincard; the more difficult it is going to be to fight the floor bosses.

During the early days of Phantom Blue's creation, several of the beta testers haters and even the hunters have actually gone after them and a few had even ambushed them in towns. One time, an idiot had actually ambushed Tamaki, Takao, Shigehiro and Kris in the middle of the town when they were in the midst of restocking their supplies. Shigehiro had made short work of the guy after accepting his request for a duel, but had made sure not to kill him, with Tamaki actually knocking the guy's blade out of his hand when he had tried to attack Shigehiro when his back was turned, actually giving him a cold warning—that even though they aren't Player Killers, she won't just stand back and watch her friend get killed.

Every single SAO player had gotten the message then—that even though Phantom Blue is mainly a guild mostly comprised of beta testers aka beaters, they will leave them alone as long as they are left alone. And it isn't like Tamaki wouldn't give them info either—it is only that she mainly gives the important info that she got her hands on to Egil, the friendly Merchant whom they have befriended early on the game, and whom Tamaki and Klein later learned had been a friend of Kirito's as well.

Heaven knows where Tamaki even got her info from, as her information tends to be more accurate than most information brokers—much to their annoyance. Hence, Tamaki had become a kind of information broker as well. She however only parts with her information on her own terms, and if the people that requires the information wouldn't use it to hurt fellow players. Some of the beta testers that Tamaki had been acquainted with during the testing period have actually approached her a few times for her help with a strategy in taking down a particular monster.

By now, every single member of Phantom Blue had mostly gotten their level up to the thirties—with a few like Tamaki, Takao and Shigehiro actually managing to get their levels up to the early forties.

It was about three months into the game when a beta tester who was tinkering about with the menu interface had somehow found out by complete accident that they could still access the Sword Art Online forum. It had been a function that had also been available even during the testing period where players could actually take photos or even videos when in the game itself and post it onto the forum board. Nearly every single person that had ordered a copy of the game or had intended to get the game had signed up to be a member of the forum months before the game was even released.

As what the players have found out however—much like the game itself, the forum's servers have been blocked so that no new memberships could be created at this time. However, the current players that are still trapped within the game could still make contact with the real world by posting messages or even photos and videos by using their accounts.

"I wonder how long this is going to go on though." Klein sighed one evening as he walked with Tamaki by the riverbank, hands behind his head—Tamaki had gone on another of her 'scouting missions', and Klein had offered to go with her as her usual partners – Takao and Shigehiro aren't around as they've gone to the nearest town to replenish their supplies together with Mochida and Kris. "I mean, sure, things are improving and all that. But it's taken us this long just to get up twenty-eight levels! How long will it take before we can clear all one hundred floors? Can we even really manage to clear them all?"

Tamaki was silent. Klein wasn't the only one with concerns like this. All of them were worried too—even Tamaki. From what she'd heard from Egil, apparently, there have been several more deaths—caused by attempting to take on the floor bosses or even battling tougher monsters than expected. More than one player had even started questioning if they could even clear all one hundred floors.

As Phantom Blue had been one of the guilds in the lead party, they were well aware of the difficulties that many players have faced in trying to face the floor bosses. As of now, there is a temporary lull in raid parties to take on the floor bosses, as the guild leaders of the guilds that are amongst the lead party have been communicating frequently with each other via group chat on their plans and even get a proper understanding of each guild's strength and numbers. Tamaki could get along with the other guild leaders easily enough. It is just the guild leader of the Knights of Blood Oath that rubs her up the wrong way.

Something about that guy just seems out of place to Tamaki…

Tamaki then stopped in her tracks as she could see a lone figure by the side of the riverbank, watching the rays of the sun reflecting on the surface of the water. Klein then got a nervous look on his face. "Sorry, I don't mean to complain," he apologised.

"It's not that." Tamaki turned her attention back towards Klein. "Go back without me. I'll catch up soon enough. And tell the others to get ready for another level grinding mission later tonight. We'll be going to the Wolf Plains—so get some cold resistant armour."

Klein nodded before shooting Tamaki a curious look and parting ways with her. Tamaki waited until Klein was out of sight before heading down the slope carefully, heading towards the riverbank where she saw the lone figure sitting by the side.

"Hey. You're not going to jump, are you?" Tamaki called out to the player that she could see.

There have already been very vague rumours going around—hence, not many people knew of it yet—but apparently, there had already been quite a few suicides in the game. Whether it be players whose minds were taken by despair and terror at dying in this game, or those who have chosen to end their lives when all their friends have ended up killed. There have already been quite a few deaths like that—but as those were just vague rumours, not many people knew of it yet.

The player took a moment before he turned his head back over his shoulder to look at Tamaki wearily. The player is a male maybe around her age, or maybe a year or two older. He is extremely handsome with chin-length black hair and gray eyes—and he is wearing some advanced leather armour for the Swordsman class. Similar to how Takao and Kris wore their weapons, he wore a sword without a guard by his side.

Tamaki's eyes drifted towards the Swordsman's Player Visual Interface above his head just then—a habit that she had somehow developed ever since getting trapped in the game. She raised a brow as she saw the avatar name 'Ryusei' just below the Swordsman's green health bar, with the name of the guild that he is with – _Pandemonium._ And judging by that diamond symbol next to the guild name, Ryusei is the guild leader.

Tamaki blinked in confusion momentarily as her eyes shot back towards the player's name before going towards his face, the Swordsman opposite her looking just as confused and startled as she is as he stared at Tamaki's own Player Visual Interface (PVI) like he'd just seen a ghost.

"…Ryusei?" Tamaki echoed, surprised to meet one of the beta testers in a place like this.

Ryusei was equally surprised. "Tsuyu?"

Ryusei had been one of the beta testers that had frequently partied together with Tamaki, Takao, Caet, Shigehiro and Mochida back when Sword Art Online had still been a game during the testing period. He had been one of the better players, with some high skill when it comes to swords, even for the Swordsman class. When they've gotten trapped in the game, Tamaki had been concerned about all her friends—her fellow beta testers, Ryusei included, but she had trusted in their ability to handle themselves.

"So you're indeed still alive." Ryusei said with a weak smile after several long minutes of silence as the two sat side-by-side by the riverbank, watching the sunset, with the rays of the sun shimmering over the lake's surface. "I'm glad. And I see that you're the head of a guild as well." His eyes flickered towards Tamaki's PVI, eyes resting on the guild name and the diamond symbol next to it.

Tamaki was silent for a long time. "…How have things been for you?" she asked at last. "I met some of the others over the past few months. Things haven't been so great for them. I'm not surprised that most of the beta testers have chosen to be solo players like Kirito. Ciav, Nirali, Caet and Kaz are with me though. We've formed a guild together with some friends."

Ryusei smiled weakly at her. "Yeah, I figured that Kaz, Caet, Ciav and Nirali would be with you," he responded. "You five have always been great friends—even back during the testing period. As for Kirito…" He hesitated. "I met him awhile back and we talked a bit." He added. "He doesn't look so good as well. And well, compared to the starting months when SAO had became a death game, things have became better for us – the beta testers." He sighed. "There are great limits to what one could do as a solo player. Kirito told me that. And a few months ago, I experienced that for myself. I ran into a few of my friends from school about two months back. I saved them from that infamous red guild that everyone has been talking about lately."

"Laughing Coffin." Tamaki murmured, and Ryusei nodded grimly. "The guild leaders of the lead group have been talking about it. If they continue attacking players and killing them, we might have to launch an attack on them soon to prevent more loss of life—even if it means we might end up becoming Player Killers ourselves."

That is one reason why the guild leaders of the lead group have been so hesitant to issue that order—as most of them are still squeamish about taking another player's life since if your HP drops to zero in Sword Art Online, it means actually dying for real.

"Yeah. I heard." Ryusei managed a small smile. "I saw your guild's name amongst the list of guilds that made up the lead group. I guess I really shouldn't be surprised—seeing as how you've always been a tremendous help to us even back during the testing days when you've came up with various strategies that almost always worked."

Tamaki was silent. "What happened?" she asked bluntly. While she had never known Ryusei as well as she had known Takao, Shige-kun and the others, she is still excellent at reading body language and human emotions. It is why she is as skilled as a strategist as she is now. "Something happened, right?"

Ryusei was startled for a moment, and he then smiled weakly. "I really can't hide anything from you, can I?" he said sadly. He fell silent for several moments before he spoke again. "Your friends' list…" He trailed off slowly, looking at Tamaki. "Our data as beta testers from the beta test period carried over to the game when SAO was first launched, right? Even the friends whom we've added during the testing period?"

Tamaki nodded, bringing up the menu interface and bringing up her friends' list. As beta testers, there are quite a few advantages that they have over the rest of the players—their knowledge and experience over the monsters and dungeon floors notwithstanding. The friends whom they've added to their list during the testing period is carried over as well.

It is why Tamaki, Takao, Shige-kun, Mochida and Caet know that Kirito is still alive _(much to Klein's relief),_ as his name is still on their friends' list. If a player is already dead, their name will disappear from their friends' list. Hence why Tamaki usually made it a point to check on Kirito's well being every single night before they've turned in for the night. It will not only put her mind at ease, but also stop Klein from panicking.

Ryusei's face looked pained before he brought up his menu interface as well, along with his friends' list and pointed to an area near the bottom of his list. "…Shinya is dead," he croaked, and Tamaki's eyes went wide at the mention of one of their fellow beta testers. She took a quick look at her friends' list and saw that Shinya's name isn't on her list any longer. "…He killed himself about a week ago."

Tamaki's eyes went wide as her head snapped up, turning to look at Ryusei's face. "I don't fully know the entire story." Ryusei admitted, his head in his hands before he looked at Tamaki once more. "I met Shinya about two weeks ago—him and his guild on level 25. His guild members are some of his high school friends—three of them. Much like most of the beta testers, Shinya had been getting lots of fire from the hunters and even the beta tester haters as well. But he had ignored them, and his friends didn't really take it lying down either. Then about a week ago, I received a distress signal from Shinya when I was out level grinding with my guild. I got to his location too late. Apart from Shinya, all his guild members were killed—by members of Laughing Coffin." Tamaki's eyes widened. "…Shinya killed himself barely two days later." Ryusei's lips trembled.

Tamaki didn't know what to say. Saying 'my condolences' doesn't seem to be the right thing to say right now. Instead…

"It's getting late," she said at last. "I have to go before my guild starts hunting me down." She looked at Ryusei. "We're going to go level grinding on floor 28—Wolf Plains tonight. Why don't you and your guild join us?" She offered. "I know that Kaz, Ciav and the other two would want to meet you again."

Ryusei looked startled for a moment before he smiled, nodding. "Yeah, I would like that."

**XXXXXX**

_~May 16, 2023; Floor 28: Wolf Plains~_

Phantom Blue met Pandemonium at the entrance of Floor 28 later that night after both guild leaders have arranged on a time and place to meet before parting ways, with Tamaki reminding Ryusei to get his guild to stock up on cold resistant armour due to the cold climate there.

Pandemonium had been a small guild – even smaller than Phantom Blue that is already one of the smaller guilds in SAO, and yet, had been also one of the most powerful. Including Ryusei _(whom Shige-kun, Mochida, Caet and Takao have been pleased to find that Ryusei is still alive and in one piece),_ Pandemonium only had four members. The members of the two guilds got along like a house on fire, and Shige-kun, Takao, Mochida and Caet were upset to hear about Shinya's death. Kris had became a really excellent Swordsman ever since joining Phantom Blue, and though he would probably never match Tamaki or even Shige-kun's skill level as a Player, he is at least now considered competent enough to be more of a match for any Player.

"Let's clear up here." Shige-kun called out to the others after scanning the area, seeing the monsters' bodies already starting to disappear, leaving behind the item drops. "We should call it a night."

"Yeah, sounds great to me." Klein nodded.

Tamaki stiffened as a presence entered her senses just then, and she turned around, one hand on her blade at the back of her waist. She then paused as she caught sight of a lone figure standing at the top of the hill behind them with the full moon illuminating his form.

"Kirito?"

Klein who isn't too far away from her turned around sharply at the mere mention of that name. Ryusei looked up, startled, as Tamaki spoke their friend's name. And there he is, standing at the top of the hill in black clothing and a sombre look on his face even as he gazed upon them sadly.

He looked and carried himself differently now—much like most of their fellow beta testers that Tamaki had came across ever since Sword Art Online had stopped being a simple game. Hell, Tamaki herself probably had the same look on her face as well—all of them looking older than they really are.

"Hey, it's Kirito!" Klein said excitedly, happy to see his friend after he'd gone missing after the announcement months back.

"We'll clean up here." Kris spoke up, eyes flickering between Kirito and Tamaki. "Go."

Tamaki nodded her head to him gratefully before she headed towards Kirito with Klein and Ryusei behind her. Thankfully, Kirito didn't run the moment that he'd seen them, but he did look a little surprised to see Ryusei with them.

"You're out levelling this late?" Klein asked the moment they've reached where Kirito is standing. He then blinked when he saw a familiar mark on Kirito's PVI. "Did you join a guild?" He asked with genuine interest.

"Yeah, I guess." Kirito smiled weakly. "I see that you met Ryusei as well." His eyes flickered towards Ryusei.

"Shinya is dead." Ryusei blurted out before Klein could say a little more than how-do-you-do. Kirito's eyes widened a slight fraction. "Just thought that you should know. Things for the beta testers have been getting a little rough. I see that you decided to join a guild. That's good." He smiled.

"Hey, we should move on!" Shige-kun called from below.

Kirito managed a small smile. "They're calling for you," he said before moving past them. "See you."

"That guy…" Klein scratched the back of his head, exchanging looks with Tamaki. "Is he still bothered by it? Idiot."

**XXXXXX**

Pandemonium and Phantom Blue started partying together a little more after that. Gaming had started becoming a little more fun, and the beta testers in the group started gaining a little more life to their eyes—much to the relief of their friends. They could even take on the floor bosses a little sooner than they've anticipated due to the increase of the party members.

It was nearly four months after Pandemonium and Phantom Blue have started partying together when Tamaki had been called for a meeting with the guild leader of the Liberation Army, Thinker and his second-in-command regarding a recent incident with Laughing Coffin and some area monsters. As the rest of her guild needs to stock up on their items and potions, and Kris as well as Caet needs some replacement gear, Pandemonium had decided to go level grinding by themselves that day, meeting back at the inn that night.

The meeting that Thinker had called Tamaki for had lasted well into the night, as they've spent most of that meeting mapping out the places where solo players or even guilds and parties have gotten hit by the red guild. The pattern with the infamous red guild, Laughing Coffin had been that they never get attacked by more than three members from that guild at one time. But as most of the players in the game were hesitant over fighting another player for real, it usually ends up disastrous for them.

If things continue on this way, they might not have a choice in the matter when it comes to Laughing Coffin, as majority of the guild leaders are fast losing patience when it comes to the red guild. And it isn't just them however. Not too long after Laughing Coffin had become famous or infamous in a way, more orange or red guilds have started appearing. One such guild that had became rather well known—though not as famous as Laughing Coffin goes by the name of Titan's Hand. The only reason why that particular guild isn't as well known as Laughing Coffin is because they mainly robbed players blind, rarely killing them.

"How is it?" Shige-kun and Takao who have waited for her outside the Liberation Army's headquarters asked as Tamaki exited, with Thinker and Yulia promising to keep her updated, as they have issues even within the guild themselves. The woes of having a large guild…

"We might be entering the worse case scenario if this keeps up." Tamaki sighed as the two boys fell in step beside her, with the three walking back towards the inn. There was a light beep just then—the sound always made whenever someone is trying to 'call' her or even send her a message, and she paused, bringing up her menu interface.

"What is it, Tsuyu?" Shige-kun asked with a frown, seeing a concerned look on Tamaki's face.

"Uh… It's from Ryusei," said Tamaki slowly even as a diagram of a map appeared next to Ryusei's message. "It's an SOS. He's calling for help."

"Where is he?" Takao asked quickly, peering over Tamaki's shoulder to look at the message.

"Outer Plains. Floor 29." Shigehiro read the message before exchanging looks with his friends. "I'll send a message to the others—telling them to meet us there. Let's go."

* * *

><p><em>~October 23, 2023; Floor 29: Outer Plains~<em>

"What could have happened?" Klein shouted over the roaring winds as the lot of them made haste over the grounds, flying towards where Ryusei's position is marked on the map that Tamaki had opened on her menu interface. "What could have given Pandemonium such trouble that Ryusei would send an SOS? That guy's damn skilled, and a beta tester to boot! I can't see anything giving _him_ trouble."

"We're getting close!" Shigehiro shouted back, keeping in pace with Tamaki who is at the fore of the group, keeping her eyes on the map. "I see them. There—" His eyes widened when he appeared at the scene, and his voice was caught in his throat.

Behind him, the rest of the guild skidded to a stop when they saw the sight that greeted them, and their eyes widened with horror.

It is the very scene of a battlefield.

The bodies of the guild members of Pandemonium lay scattered on the ground motionless, with broken weapons amongst them. And then, one by one, their bodies shattered into thousands of pale green hexagonal shards.

And with his throat caught by one of the assailants, Ryusei dangled almost a foot off from the ground.

_Laughing Coffin._

"Release him!" Klein roared, bursting into action as he dashed onto the scene whilst drawing his sword at the same time. The rest of the guild followed not even a moment later whilst Tamaki activated her Shadow Walk, appearing before the Laughing Coffin member and Ryusei with her blade drawn before anyone else.

"T-Tsuyu…" Ryusei smiled weakly at Tamaki, still being held in mid-air. The Laughing Coffin member made a sound that sounded like a laugh before thrusting his blade into Ryusei's mid-section. And then, to Tamaki's horror, the little bit of HP that Ryusei had left dwindled down to nothing. "Become a splendid Assassin—a Player, and change this rotten world… _Save everyone."_

Ryusei then disappeared into hundreds of pale green hexagonal shards.

"_Ryusei!"_

"Damn you!" Kris shouted at the Laughing Coffin members present on the scene, tears leaking from the sides of his eyes as he is reminded of how _his_ own guild had died before Tamaki had saved him.

One of the Laughing Coffin members with a dark cloak covering his body from head to toe whom Tamaki knew as PoH from painstakingly collecting information on the infamous red guild for _months_ made a sound that sounded like laughter, and made a weird gesture with his hand, revealing the Laughing Coffin mark on the back of his glove.

"_It's…showtime."_

* * *

><p>"So that's Laughing Coffin." Kris mused hours later, nursing a cup of hot tea in his hands in the inn room. Everyone was in shock, having watched the brutal murder and annihilation of Pandemonium at the hands of the infamous red guild.<p>

"What are we going to do?" Klein asked at last. "We can't let them go just like this."

"And what do you want us to do?" Caet asked tiredly. "Technically, there are no official laws about Player Killing in SAO, much like most MMORPGs. Like we've said before, Player Killing comes with the territory—it happens in every virtual MMO. It's just that the price is a little higher when it comes to SAO."

Klein opened his mouth to argue, but shut it again, knowing that Caet is right. All of them knew that Laughing Coffin had been a problem for a long time. This is just the first time that all of them have see how brutal they can be. The incident with Kris when they've first met him notwithstanding.

"…First thing tomorrow, I'll ask for a meeting with Thinker and Yulia, and a few of the other guild leaders. I'll ask the guild leaders of Black Blade and ICE as well." Tamaki spoke for the first time ever since Ryusei had…died in front of her, her legs drawn up to her chest in a corner of the room. She raised her head, her eyes cold, and Klein felt a chill. It might be difficult to remember, but this girl is still the guild leader of Phantom Blue—one of the most powerful guilds in SAO. "I can't leave it alone now. I'll destroy Laughing Coffin—if it's the last thing I do!"

**XXXXXX**

_~December 24, 2023; Floor 49: Myugen~_

"I heard about Ryusei and Pandemonium, as well as about Shinya," was the first thing out of Egil's mouth the moment that Tamaki and Shigehiro walked into his merchant shop in the town of Myugen. The axe wielder looked solemn as he looked at Tamaki. "That friend of yours—one of the beta testers, Seiyo came by to tell me about it about two months ago. He said that Shinya and Ryusei's names just vanished from his friends' list one day. He then ran into Kaz, who then told him."

Tamaki smiled a small smile. "…I see."

"I saw Kirito awhile back as well." Egil said solemnly. "He doesn't look too good. I heard that his entire guild got killed off a few months ago as well. He's the only survivor. The guild leader survived too, but threw himself off the cliff in despair."

Shigehiro's eyes widened. "What is with all the deaths lately?" he murmured. "Is it Laughing Coffin?" He asked carefully, as a great number of deaths lately had something to do with that red guild.

"No. A trap in a treasure room apparently." Egil shook his head. He sighed. "I'm worried about him." He admitted. "He's been taking some big risks with his level raising lately. It is almost as if he didn't even care if he dies." He sighed.

With it being Christmas Eve, everyone is in the mood for celebrations lately. Everyone but Phantom Blue that is, and maybe a few others as well. Tamaki's meeting with Thinker and a few of the other guild leaders that she's on good terms with had gone well, though everyone admits that they can't take on Laughing Coffin on their own if they are indeed that dangerous.

The door to Egil's shop swung opened once more, and a certain swordsman walked in just then, a blank look on his face and eyes that it almost made Shigehiro cringe to see it. Kirito's eyes fell on Tamaki the instant he entered—and it is obvious that he is here to find her.

"Kirito—"

"I need some information." Kirito said immediately, approaching Tamaki with dead eyes. "I heard about a revival item—the first in the game. How do I get it?" He sounded almost desperate.

Tamaki winced. Right. Why is she not surprised? Even since they've entered the month of December, she had been getting frequent visits from the information brokers. Even Tamaki herself can't confirm the news about a certain revival item that she'd heard—the first in the game, and though she is rather tempted to get the item, the risks to get said item isn't worth it.

"…It's just a rumour that I've heard. I can't confirm it—"

"_Tell me!"_ Kirito demanded, grabbing Tamaki's hand by the wrist, an almost crazed and desperate look in his eyes.

"Hey Kirito!" Egil called to him with concern, but it is almost like Kirito didn't hear anything. He couldn't even hear or see anything but Tamaki right now.

Tamaki sighed, exchanging looks with Shigehiro—warning him with her eyes to stand down. "…First things first, let go of me," she said at last, and after a long moment, Kirito released his grip on her arm.

"Tell me." Kirito insisted. _"Please.'_

Tamaki sighed, exchanging looks with Shigehiro who merely shrugged. Finally, she gave in, turning to face Kirito. "As beta testers, all of us know the events and monsters that will appear in the game. But the rumoured revival item is linked to a one time event. In other words, it wasn't in the beta test."

Shigehiro along with the rest of the Phantom Blue guild had already heard Tamaki tell this to a few of her friends—the beta testers and even the few information brokers that she'd bothered to entertain, but Egil hadn't heard this before, and had listened intently. As for Kirito, it seemed almost like he's hanging onto her every word.

Tamaki looked at Kirito hesitantly. "I know why you're after this item, and I can only tell you to forget about it. It's too risky, Kirito!"

"Tell me!" Kirito insisted.

Tamaki sighed. "…I can't confirm this info," she warned, and Kirito nodded. "On Christmas Eve—in other words, late tonight. The Christmas event boss, 'Nicholas the Renegade' will appear. Beneath a certain fir tree. It is rumoured that the item drop of this Christmas event boss is a revival item. Because of this, all the big guilds are searching for it." She added. "I have a general suspicion where he is—if it even existed in the first place, but it's not worth the risk. I can't risk my guild's lives—"

"Where is it?"

"Kirito, don't be insane." Shigehiro cut in. "We don't even know if it existed in the first place, and if it _did_ exist, it's a _boss!_ You can't possibly solo it alone!"

"_Where is it?"_

Tamaki hesitated, wondering if she should tell Kirito the information before she finally relented. "…Floor 35, Forest Maze."

"…Thank you."

"Kirito, you can't possibly be considering taking it on alone?" Egil protested before Kirito could leave his shop. "Don't! No matter how good you are, taking on a boss as a solo player is too dangerous! If you die in this game, you die for real!"

"Don't be insane!" Shigehiro tried to persuade their friend. "Let us go with you! You'll die—"

"…I don't care."

The door swung shut behind him once more.

"…Tsuyu…" Egil spoke after a long moment, looking worried. "Kirito is…"

Tamaki nodded. "I know," she said, turning to face the merchant. "I understand what he's feeling and thinking. He's not in the right state of mind now." She sighed. "Besides, Klein had been worried for a while ever since rumours about the deaths of the Moonlit Black Cats had gone around, since that's the name of the guild that we know Kirito had joined. And honestly, I'm worried about him too." She admitted.

"…Let's regroup with the others." Shigehiro suggested. "I know for one that Klein would insist on going to help Kirito."

"Let me know how it goes." Egil said hurriedly. "And come back alive!"

* * *

><p><em>~December 24, 2023; Floor 35: Forest Maze~<em>

Kirito was on the floor of the dungeon, as Tamaki had said that he would. Those eyes of his in Egil's shop—those are the eyes of someone who had already lost everything.

"You followed me?" Kirito stated in an emotionless voice, semi-glaring at Tamaki, Takao, Shigehiro, Mochida, Caet and Klein who have been the party that Tamaki had brought with her, leaving the rest behind to level grind a bit more or even to earn more Col.

"Of course we did." Shigehiro said with a frown. "Do you honestly think we would just let you go and seek your death?"

"Tsuyu told us about it." Klein said hurriedly. "Are you after the revival item?" He didn't even wait for Kirito's reply. "Don't risk your life on a stupid rumour." He warned, having heard from Tamaki and Shigehiro just what Kirito had become and how he had been acting ever since the deaths of his guild members. "If you die in the game, you die for real!"

"Leave me alone."

"Fighting as a solo player is crazy! Cut it out! I can't let you die here!" Klein argued, not willing to watch Kirito—his first friend in the game go and seek his death. "Kirito!"

Tamaki who had been extremely silent, merely watching the events pan out in front of her stepped forward, throwing out an arm to stop her guild members. She then looked at Kirito carefully. "You're really going, no matter what we said?" she questioned, and Kirito nodded. "Do you want to die?" She asked, and Kirito looked startled and even surprised—the first flicker of emotion that she had seen from him in months ever since running into him at Wolf Plains.

"Kirito, Ryusei is dead." Caet spoke for the first time, and Kirito's eyes widened a slight fraction. "It's Laughing Coffin. And Shinya's death months ago… It's suicide."

"…Suicide?"

"It's not uncommon." Takao said. "I heard that there has been a bunch of them of late. Despair is contagious, you know? It only takes one, and then more people will follow the same route."

Tamaki stiffened just then. "Save the arguments for later, guys," she said, drawing out her sword at the back of her waist, and Shigehiro followed her example. "We got company."

And then, teleportation lights started appearing around them, revealing the sudden arrivals of several players wearing the trademark gray and blue armour of the Holy Dragon Alliance whom Phantom Blue had ended in clashes with more than once during their dungeon clearing missions.

"Seems like you were followed too, Tsuyu." Kirito responded, one hand on the sword on his back.

"Seems to be." Tamaki mused, eyes flickering from left to right, reading the situation. It will be in their benefit as well if the Holy Dragon Alliance failed to get the revival item if it even exists. Furthermore, she knows that Kirito needs this as well. He needs closure. "Go." She told Kirito. "We'll handle things here. Go."

Kirito frowned. "Sorry," he apologised before running off towards the direction of the giant fir tree.

"Sorry guys, looks like your guild leader had decided to sign you up for another meaningless fight." Tamaki said a small smirk.

"Isn't that always? We're used to it by now." Takao grinned. "Let's make this our Christmas event of the year then."

"They're coming!"

* * *

><p>Phantom Blue were all still recovering from the fight against the Holy Dragon Alliance after they've retreated when they've sent that treasure hunting guild packing when Kirito appeared from a portal, clutching a jewel in his hand. Klein brightened up at the sight of him.<p>

"Kirito!"

Without a word, Kirito threw the jewel in his hand towards Tamaki who caught it. "In the end, it is just false hope." Kirito said in a dead voice. "It can only work in the ten seconds before someone dies for real in the game. Use it on the next person whom you see die."

Tamaki grabbed Kirito's arm before he could leave. "I don't know what had happened exactly, but do you think that _anyone_ would be happy if you die or if you continue blaming yourself?" she asked harshly. "You told me before that you had a mother and a sister out there. Just like our families, they're waiting for you to go back. Do you want the news of your death to reach them instead? How do you think that will make them feel?" Kirito said nothing, but his eyes have cleared up—evidence that Tamaki had gotten through to him. "I can't leave you like this! Come with us, Kirito." Tamaki pleaded.

"Come with us. Join us, Kirito." Klein agreed. "Please."

"I…"

Tamaki snapped. "I don't want to see you end up like Ryusei or Shinya or anyone else!" she snapped. "I don't want to see anymore of my friends dead to suicide or even to Red Players! I want to go home! I want to see my cousin! Just like all of us! There are people waiting for us on the other side! Let's not disappoint them." Tamaki looked at Kirito. "Please… I don't want to see more of my friends dead." She almost whispered.

Kirito was silent for a long time, with only the sounds of the winds that could be heard as everyone waited for Kirito's answer. "…Do you really think that she will forgive me? Do you think that Sachi had ever hated me?" he asked desperately.

"…What is there to hate?" Caet questioned. "All of us know the risks when we continued becoming players. We could have done the same as several others—becoming civilians in all but everything and leaving the work to others. When you become a Player, you accept the fact that you might die one day. I don't know who this 'Sachi' is, but I'm sure that she wouldn't hate you. She knows what she's getting herself into."

"I…" Kirito managed a small smile at Tamaki. "Tsuyu, is there room in your guild for one more?"

**XXXXXX**

_That's how we've spent our first Christmas in Sword Art Online—in the dungeons of a death game. Just how long had it been ever since we've been trapped in the game? I've long stopped counting. Sei, how are you? Four days ago, it had been your birthday. We used to celebrate it together every year for as long as we've remembered. How is everyone getting along? I'm afraid. I want to go home. But… I don't know how! Sei… Please watch over me._

* * *

><p><em>AN: I'm going to follow Sword Art Online's timing and years for this, as it would be less confusing for me. Anyway, Akashi's appearance next chapter, and also a timeskip. I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review! Reviews give me inspiration to update!_


	6. Silent Night

**Pairings:** Shigehiro/Tamaki. Kirito/Asuna.

**Warnings:** AU Universe. OOC. Gender swap. Minor character bashing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basuke and Sword Art Online or any of the characters, but the OC characters belongs to me

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six: Silent Night<strong>

Akashi said quite a lot when he'd arrived at the hospital, with it being close to midnight when he'd finally arrived at Tokyo.

All of Seirin were still at the hospital when they'd met Tamaki's elusive cousin for the first time in their lives—having heard Yuki-san mention her son to them more than once whenever they held their usual after training meals at the Rising Sun restaurant. Midorima had left for about an hour earlier when the rest of the Shutoku regulars have arrived at the hospital, having receiving Midorima's text about Takao. Miyaji looks mad enough to hurl something at someone—preferably a pineapple or even a _durian_ at the face of the idiot insane enough to start all this.

It had taken Midorima _and_ Yuki-san both to calm Akashi down enough to stop him hurling threats at everyone within distance—Seirin and the doctor included. Much to Akashi and Yuki-san's surprise however, Shigehiro of all people was admitted into the Midorima Municipal Hospital too as all the hospitals at Kyoto that have admitted the SAO victims were full. And from a frantic call from Hayama earlier, Akashi knew that a member of his basketball team, Mayuzumi Chihiro had also been an SAO victim.

Akashi had taken leave from his school for a week, handing over the reins of leadership over to Mibuchi Reo in the meantime. Momoi Satsuki had came to the hospital the very next day, ashen-faced and looked to be on the verge of collapsing with Kise close behind her—obviously, the blonde had told their former manager about Tamaki. Aomine however never showed up, and when Akashi had questioned Satsuki about it, the pink haired girl looked furious for a moment before telling the redhead that Aomine had declared it 'not my problem' and had gone back to sleep.

If it wasn't for the fact that Akashi is exhausted beyond a doubt with everything that had happened, he likely would have gone to Touou and murdered his former ace. The redhead still hadn't forgiven Aomine for what he had pulled throughout all of third year and how much he had hurt his cousin, and even what he had done to his best friend and his team during the championship league match.

Even Murasakibara had turned up during the weekend, looking extremely pissed—a first for the childish purple haired giant. He had a companion with him—a rather effeminate teen with black hair that covered one side of his face.

Five days after more than 10,000 players were trapped in Sword Art Online, bits and pieces of news of what the government was trying to do were slowly getting released to the public. The nation's top computer experts were all trying to fix this, and to also find a way to safely remove the NerveGear, but there had been no breakthrough as of yet. A new division had even been created by the government – a Sword Art Online task force to tackle this problem.

One day turned into two days. Two days turned into a week. And throughout it all, all that Akashi could do was wait—alternating his visits between Tamaki and Shigehiro. The basketball regulars of Touou (minus Aomine) turned up on day three, visiting their teammate, Sakurai Ryou who had also been an SAO victim. Rakuzan have also been regular visitors on the weekends. So is Shutoku.

Due to the chaos that is the SAO incident, all schools have suspended lessons for a week so that the students and families could cope with the shock and the situation. Akashi had even heard from his coach at Rakuzan that the Basketball Association had also postponed the Inter High tournament by a month. Though with the state that nearly all schools are in lately, Akashi highly doubt that any of the teams will be feeling very motivated in matches even if they do hold them.

Midorima came by every single day to visit, alternating his visits between Tamaki and Shigehiro (if Akashi is there). So did Kise, even though he lives in Kanagawa now. Seirin came every single day to visit. That tall redhead whom Akashi later learned had been Tamaki's chosen partner and best friend spent every single bit of free time that he had in her hospital room, talking about several mundane things, and even how lost that he is now in class without Tamaki there to help him.

Akashi has to return to Kyoto after two weeks, though he came back to Tokyo every Friday night and return to Kyoto on Sunday night. After three weeks, a representative from the company that had created Sword Art Online came to speak to Akashi and his mother while they were both visiting Tamaki as usual.

Akashi can't really remember his name—Sugou or something like that. He only knew that the man had used a really condescending tone when talking about his cousin's life like it is some business transaction, and Akashi had actually resorted to violence for the first time in his life ever since witnessing his mother suffering from the physical abuse from his father during his first year in middle school before they have divorced.

Akashi had actually broken the man's nose, and his mother was actually mad enough to hit the man across his face with enough force that it actually caused him to lose a tooth. A second representative from the company had arrived the very next day, apologising for his colleague's actions, and had assured them that they would do everything that they could do to amend this 'mistake'.

It however didn't make Akashi feel any better since how many empty promises have he heard from the various government officials that have came before him?

One week become two weeks. Two weeks turned into three weeks. Then before Akashi even knew it, nearly three months have passed since Tamaki had been trapped in the game, along with over 10,000 players.

Akashi had even gotten to know his cousin's chosen team really well, and he is happy to learn that she had started smiling again ever since joining Seirin—a smile that had been taken away by Teiko and Aomine. Akashi's life started alternating between school, practice, and the hospital, and he would have gladly placed his life on hold if it hadn't been for his mother.

His mother had refused to allow him to drop out of school, stating that Tamaki wouldn't want him to do that for her—as Akashi had worked really hard to gain the scholarship for him to be able to enter Rakuzan. Mibuchi Reo had made sure that Akashi went to classes and basketball practice, and often tagged along with him to Tokyo to make sure that he returned to Kyoto on Sundays.

Akashi had often talked to his cousin whilst sitting by her side, despite knowing that there is no way that she could hear him. This isn't like talking to a patient in a coma where they could still somehow hear everything going on around them. The NerveGear is specially designed so that it blocks all the nerve and brain signals—transporting the user into the game world.

As each day ticked past, Akashi grew more and more frantic and more bad tempered as the authorities are no closer to finding a cure than when they've first started months ago after Kayaba Akihiko had launched his crazy plan. After the third Rakuzan player found themselves booted out of the basketball club by just triggering Akashi's temper, everyone knew better than to stand in his way. Even the regulars and the coach are treading on eggshells around Akashi.

Nearly three months after the SAO incident, with a little over two hundred SAO victims suddenly dying in their hospital beds due to their brains frying, and Akashi growing steadily more panicked and worried with each day, Kise approached him one day, saying something about the Sword Art Online forum.

Apparently, it had been a function that had already been available during the early days of the testing period of the game. It actually allows the players within the game to take pictures and videos in the game itself and post it onto the forum using their accounts. Months before Sword Art Online's official release, there have already been hundreds, if not thousands of people who have signed up as members. And apparently, one of the computer experts assigned to the SAO task force had found out that while the forum's servers have also been locked down like the game, the players trapped within the game are still able to post messages and all that on the forum.

This piece of information had given new hope to all the waiting families and friends who were worried about their loved ones. There are visitors nearly every single day to the forum, and it is almost heartbreaking to read the messages on the forum that appeared nearly every single day. Messages like 'I love you' or 'I promise I'll listen to you from now on, Mom' appeared on a daily basis—sometimes even hourly.

It hurts Akashi—making him feel almost guilty that he hadn't spent as much time as he should have with his cousin ever since her parents' passing and then the fiasco at Teiko. And that bastard Aomine hadn't shown his face even now. But as he is simply too exhausted to even be angry at that idiot, he just left his fate to Momoi who is no doubt angrier than even himself as Tamaki is her best friend after all.

"This 'Tsuyu' is Tamaki?" Midorima furrowed his brows as he peered at the screen of Kise's laptop that he'd brought to the hospital—with the blonde being here on another one of his visits.

The trio have started browsing through the users' list of all the members of the forum, going through avatar name after avatar name. As the users tend to keep information about themselves confidential, it is really difficult to tell which one is Tamaki's or even Shigehiro. All of them knew that they are still alive however—as there are still health signs from them.

Akashi nodded solemnly, looking at the name on his screen. There were a few postings on her wall from other players—saying that she's the guild leader of Phantom Blue, and had been the leading strategist for the 'lead group'—whatever that is. If the name 'Tsuyu' isn't a dead giveaway, then the guild name is.

"It's the name that I used to call Tama when we were kids." Akashi explained to Kise and Midorima. "I could never pronounce her name properly when we were really little, and I started to call her Tsuyu, as back then, the colour of her hair and eyes reminds me of the moon. When we entered elementary school, I then started calling her 'Tama'."

"…I saw Seirin the other day." Midorima removed his glasses momentarily, rubbing at his eyes. "They look horrible. I don't even know if they should even be participating in the Inter High, with their mental states."

"All the teams are in the same situation." Kise sighed. "There is talk that they're thinking about suspending all the school tournaments this year – sports or otherwise. The performances this year are just horrible, even from the supposedly top schools. From what I heard from Kasamatsu-sempai, nearly every single prominent team had lost at least a regular or two to Sword Art Online."

Akashi remained silent, not knowing what to say. He just wished that they could all wake up from this nightmare. And to think, it all started because of a game.

Isn't it ironic?

**XXXXXX**

There is nearly always someone in Tamaki's hospital room—whether it be Akashi, Yuki-san, or even one of her teammates. Shigehiro's parents were also constant visitors—alternating their visits between Tamaki and their son. They have told Akashi that Shigehiro had became addicted to gaming not long after the end of the championship league match in middle school. Once more, when he heard that, Akashi felt a stab of guilt—it is as much the same reason as Tamaki's gaming addiction. In her case however, it had already been going on throughout all of third year when they were struggling just to keep the club afloat with all the problems that they are having.

Akashi, along with the rest of Tamaki's teammates, and even his former teammates were regular visitors to the SAO forum, reading all the messages posted there. Some of the messages were downright depressing, as some of the players reported the deaths that they've witnessed. 'Tsuyu' however never posted anything at all. Even still, Akashi kept visiting her member page every single day—even setting his phone alerts so that he would be alerted should there be a new message from her.

But the most heartbreaking part of this entire nightmare is watching as Tamaki's health and body started to deteriorate and waste away.

After all, going for weeks and months without proper solids and fluids and with no exposure to sunlight and exercise won't be good for anyone. After nearly a month ever since being trapped in the game, Akashi started to notice the first few signs of her deteriorating health as the lean muscles that Tamaki had gained from playing basketball started to deteriorate. Her already thin limbs started to look even skinnier, and her face—or what that they could see of it anyway beneath the NerveGear started to look sunken and hollow. And from what Akashi had seen of Shigehiro and even Mayuzumi who had also been brought to the same hospital, the same thing is also happening to them and nearly every single SAO victim.

Even Tamaki's once shoulder length ice blue hair had started to grow longer—reaching way past her waist by the time that a month had come and gone. Akashi's mother, Akashi or even a nurse often had to cut her hair once it reaches past her waist. Once a day, if Akashi's mother couldn't come to the hospital, a nurse would have to help to wipe down Tamaki's body. And with the lack of exposure to the sun, Tamaki's already pale skin tone started to look even paler that she looked almost ill.

Seirin always looked almost ready to cry whenever they visited Tamaki and saw the state that she is in—as it is almost visible proof that they could do _nothing_ at all.

If the computer experts in the nation couldn't do anything at all, then the only hope that the SAO players have by escaping the game is to beat it. Each day, news reports on updates of the SAO incident were broadcasted all over the world. And every month, the list of SAO victims who have ended up dying grew longer and longer.

When three months had come and gone, Akashi is almost shocked to realise that hearing about the deaths just seems so natural to him now. On the brighter side however, the number of deaths seems to have minimised after three months, which must mean that the players trapped in SAO have gotten stronger, and knew what to do to prevent themselves from dying.

It however didn't change the fact about the situation that they've found themselves in. Kayaba Akihiko is a freaking computer genius—the brains behind the creation of the NerveGear and the Sword Art Online game. No one else in this nation or the world even could match his skills. It also meant that no one else could figure out what to do to undo everything that he had done.

The Sword Art Online forum became the only source of information that the public could turn to in order to get information on whatever is happening from inside of the game. The moment that the players inside have figured out that they could at least stay connected to the real world, they have posted messages nearly every single day—telling their families and friends that they're fine. Pictures became a constant thing even.

Akashi's phone rarely left his side after that, with the redhead constantly browsing through the SAO forum on the web browser on his phone. Kayaba Akihiko's announcement had apparently reached the players within the game too, and after snapping out of their shock, the players as a whole have started to fight back—aiming to clear all one hundred floors in Aincard and to free themselves.

Guilds and parties were formed—all of them working together just to make it out alive, as the higher up they go, the harder that the boss fights are going to be. It had soon came to a point when the players could no longer take on a floor boss with just six people, but usually, nearly four or five times the number.

It had taken the players nearly an entire month just to locate the first floor boss and to clear the dungeon. But after they've figured out the tricks and tips to it, the other players soon caught on fast. The beta testers however kind of became outcasts in the game due to their knowledge on the game and the monsters.

Akashi actually felt like stabbing something when he read a message that spoke of several players becoming 'hunters' and hunting down the beta testers for something that is way out of their control. It isn't like the beta testers actually asked for this to happen either!

Akashi only hoped that Shigehiro and Tamaki have somehow managed to find each other in the game so that they could look out for each other. According to a magazine that Hayama had shown him one day—according to statements from some of the workers at Kayaba Akihiko's company, it is stated that Kayaba had designed the game in such a way that while a player might be able to handle fighting solo for the first few floors, they will find it more difficult to do that the higher up they go. Sword Art Online is designed to be a game where the players can only clear it if they partnered with other players.

And just as Akashi and the rest of the world thought that they might rest easy, knowing that the players within the game are fine and working together to get out of the death game, a piece of horrifying news reached them, making Akashi want to murder someone.

The post is from a player who had barely survived an attack on him and his guild mates from fellow players – the Red Players—the Player Killers. In other words, the murderers in the game. And in a game like SAO where the instant your HP drops to zero, you die, it means absolute bad news for the players.

Akashi had heard about the terminologies used in Virtual MMOs from Tamaki several times during their middle school days when she had been in her gaming phase. Player Killing had always come with the territory—it comes with every virtual reality game. After all, the players wouldn't have to answer for their actions by committing crimes in an online virtual reality game—different from how it is in the real world. It is partly the reason why so many people who became red or orange players in virtual MMOs changed drastically after committing online crimes over and over again, as what Tamaki had told him once. But unlike the real world, at least in the virtual world, they could at least fight back.

Months passed.

Akashi soon lost count of just how much time had passed since his cousin and his best friend have been trapped in a game. Life went on just as normal. He went to school, did his homework, return to Tokyo during the weekends, helped his mother with her restaurant on Saturday mornings, and then spent the rest of his weekend in the hospital with his cousin. It soon became routine for him.

In the end, the authorities never suspended the sports tournaments, though they might as well have as this year had to be the worst showing that they ever had—with so many teams out there losing most of their prominent and key players. At least every seeded team had lost at least one regular player from their lineup.

Seirin got themselves kicked out of the Inter High after losing to both Seiho and Shutoku, but as what Kagami had told Tamaki when he'd came to visit—they would be paying them back for it next year, with Kiyoshi-sempai returning to the team after his surgery on his knee.

In the end, Rakuzan became the reigning champion for both the Inter High and Winter Cup tournaments once again, though Akashi wasn't really happy at all. He simply is in no mood to participate in tournaments if Mibuchi hadn't made sure that he at least kept a healthy work-life balance.

They've entered December by the time that the Winter Cup is over, and before Akashi even realises it, it is already his birthday. And thinking about it only made him depressed. Before his parents have divorced, his father had never shown him love, and any presents that he got from his mother or even friends were usually destroyed or thrown out by the man that is supposed to love and protect him.

It soon became routine for Akashi to celebrate his birthday every single year with his cousin. When they were extremely young, neither child could afford a cake. However, as they grew older, Tamaki started to bake a cake for him every single year, as Akashi had once mentioned that he only saw Christmas cakes for sale during his birthday month, and not birthday cakes. Likewise, Akashi usually cooked Tamaki's favourite dish for her for _her_ birthday, and their birthdays were usually celebrated in Rising Sun after the divorce of Akashi's parents—with it being just a family thing.

* * *

><p>Akashi rested his head on the table as he stared at the flickering flame on the candle on the store bought chocolate cake that his mother had bought for his birthday. Outside in the streets, he could already hear the preparations for Christmas getting underway.<p>

"What's wrong, Sei-chan?" Yuki asked her son, threading her fingers through the red hair of her son. "It's your birthday. At least smile a little."

Akashi gave a small smile at his mother. "…Every year, Tama always used to celebrate with me," he whispered, staring at the cake that seems a little too Christmassy for a birthday cake. "She always baked a cake for me—with it being in our favourite flavours – chocolate and vanilla. She promised to add almonds to my birthday cake this year after she couldn't get any last year. It just…feels wrong, that's all." He admitted. "Celebrating it without her."

Yuki didn't know what to say even as she sat down beside her son, placing one plate each in front of herself and her son, and another plate opposite them in front of the empty seat. Her son stared up at her in confusion.

"She'll be fine." Yuki forced a smile on her face as she ruffled her son's hair. "She'll wake up one day. We'll get to celebrate it with her again."

Akashi gave a small genial smile at his mother.

**XXXXXX**

_~December 24, 2023; Midorima Municipal Hospital~_

Akashi pushed opened the gaps between the curtains covering the windows of his cousin's ward room, seeing the white flakes of snow already falling from the skies, and the Christmas light and decorations that covered the streets, with Christmas carols being sung by the carollers and even the church children that usually go about singing at this time of the year.

The only sounds that could be heard in the room are just the light beeping sounds from the heart monitor monitoring Tamaki's condition. Akashi turned around to walk back to his seat in the chair by Tamaki's bedside.

"Tama, it's Christmas Eve." Akashi spoke, talking to Tamaki like how he'd always done every single time that he came to visit his cousin, taking her hand into his, almost cringing at how cold it is even with the heater that the nurses have placed in the room, careful to avoid the IV line attached to Tamaki's left wrist that is giving her body the nutrients that she needs. "Can you hear it? Everyone is celebrating out there." He smiled sadly at the slumbering form of his cousin. How are they spending Christmas over there? "Is it snowing there too? Are you spending Christmas with Shige? Have you made other friends in the game?"

Akashi could just hear the muffled voices of the carollers in the streets singing Silent Night, and a muscle in his cheek twitched as a distant memory came to the surface of his mind.

"_Sei, I haven't heard you sing since that day."_

"…_Sing for me again one day? I like listening to you sing."_

Akashi was silent for a long time. His mother loved singing, and often sung to him before he went to bed as a really young child. He loved to sing with her, but as he grew older, his father forbid it, and used to beat him really badly whenever he heard Akashi singing. It came to such a point when Akashi had all but stopped singing, much to his mother and Tamaki's disappointment, as Tamaki had said once that he could probably make a career as a singer if he wants to.

'_Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright. Round yon virgin, mother and child. Holy infant, tender and mild__'_

'_Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace.__'_

'_Silent night, Holy night. Son of God, love's pure light__'_

'_Radiant beams from thy holy face. With the dawn of redeeming grace. Jesus, Lord at thy birth. Jesus, Lord at thy birth__'_

'_Silent night, Holy night. Shepherds quake, at the sight. Glories stream from heaven above. Heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah. Christ the Saviour is born. Christ the Saviour is born.__'_

Akashi almost felt tears brimming around his eyes, but he quickly blinked it away. Resting his head by the side of Tamaki's hospital bed, he took her hand into his, trying to pretend that this nightmare is never real—pretending that they're kids once more and having sleepovers at Tamaki's house.

"…Tama… Tsuyu… Merry Christmas." Akashi whispered.

He never noticed the LCD screen of his phone lighting up momentarily, with the notification that he had a new message alert from the SAO forum, or even that said message soon appeared on the screen of his phone.

_That's how we've spent our first Christmas in Sword Art Online—in the dungeons of a death game. Just how long had it been ever since we've been trapped in the game? I've long stopped counting. Sei, how are you? Four days ago, it had been your birthday. We used to celebrate it every year for as long as we've remembered. How is everyone getting along? I'm afraid. I want to go home. But… I don't know how! Sei… Please watch over me. _

_It is snowing here too. Is it snowing over there too? There are even Christmas celebrations happening where we are now—just to allow us to forget that we're trapped in a game for a few hours. So many people have died up to the point when I'm wondering just what it is that we're fighting for. Ryusei and Shinya… I couldn't save them. I don't want to see anymore of my friends dead. We're still fighting, Sei. We haven't given up yet. How long has it been, I wonder? What is going on in the real world? Is everyone all right? _

_Before I forget, Sei… Happy belated birthday. And Merry Christmas._

_Posted on 24 December 2023 | 11:59PM | Poster: Tsuyu_

* * *

><p><em>AN: A pretty sad chapter this time around. There might be a possible timeskip the next chapter for the SAO chapter. Also, what would you like to see happen for the real world chapters? It might give me some ideas. Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review! Reviews give me inspiration to update!_


	7. Illusion

**Pairings:** Shigehiro/Tamaki. Kirito/Asuna.

**Warnings:** AU Universe. OOC. Gender swap. Minor character bashing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basuke and Sword Art Online or any of the characters, but the OC characters belongs to me

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven: Illusion<strong>

_~February 18, 2024; Floor 50: Algade~_

Tamaki was sorting through all her items in her inventory whilst sitting on a bench in the town plaza of the town of Algade one night when she realised that it had nearly been a year since they've gotten trapped in Sword Art Online.

The clearing guilds—the lead group had managed to reach up to Floor 56 thus far, suffering minimal casualties due to careful planning and by following the strategies that Tamaki had came up with. For now, there is a lull in conquering the floor dungeons as the various guild leaders have decided to earn more Col to get better equipment and gear so as to prevent more deaths.

'_It's been nearly a year, huh?'_ Tamaki mused almost sadly as she eyed the internal clock on her menu interface that showed the date and time. _'I wonder what is going on outside now?'_

After all, while the players trapped in the game could still connect with the real world by posting status updates and even pictures of their status to put the minds of their loved ones and friends at ease, they have no way of knowing what's happening in the real world.

It's been nearly two months since Kirito had officially joined the Phantom Blue guild, and it had caused quite a ruckus in the beginning—that the Black Swordsman, the famed beater that solo the front lines had finally joined a guild. And not just any guild, but the Phantom Blue guild. But as it isn't like the members of Phantom Blue haven't heard it before, not a single member of that guild had cared about it.

After all, they're relatively well known for being a guild of beta testers _(even though nearly half of their members aren't beta testers),_ and they have their fair share of gossipers when the guild was first founded, especially with the high skill and level of the members of the guild. And it didn't help matters that Phantom Blue is easily one of the top guilds in Sword Art Online, despite being a small guild with less than twenty members.

It was almost awkward for Phantom Blue in the beginning when Kirito had first joined them, as the Black Swordsman isn't exactly what you would call a social person. Klein is usually the one dragging Kirito into conversations and all that, though Kirito do talk to his fellow beta testers, and after nearly two weeks of awkward conversation, have managed to struck up a kind of tentative friendship with the rest of the guild.

Two weeks after Kirito had joined the Phantom Blue guild found the entire guild as a whole heading back down to Floor 22—Coral, to purchase their guild house, as Tamaki and the entire guild as a whole is getting tired of having to rent inn rooms or even camping outdoors for _months._

Floor 22, Coral, had been one of the floors that the Clearers—the lead group had cleared the fastest—clearing it and defeating the Floor Boss in just a mere three days after unlocking the floor. The difficulty level is relatively low, with no relatively important quests. As such, not many players frequent this floor. The only ones that do are mainly those that have Fishing and Woodcrafting as their sub classes.

Phantom Blue had fallen in love with the place when they've first arrived at Floor 22 along with the rest of the lead group during the early days of the formation of Phantom Blue and the lead group, and they were almost reluctant to leave when the Floor Boss had been defeated.

Floor 22, Coral, is a place particularly reminiscent of the countryside in the real world—with several deep coniferous forests, grass plains and even numerous lakes that dot the landscape. The forests and lakes in Coral alone occupy most of the floor's area, along with a humongous lake.

As there are no houses for sale by the lakeside or even the forest area—much to Tamaki's disappointment, Kris had actually suggested purchasing part of the land in the area and building a house from scratch. That idea had merit for the entire guild, as Floor 22 is extremely peaceful—and they could just forget that they're trapped in the middle of a death game and have to fight their way out just for a few hours.

In Sword Art Online, players _are_ allowed to purchase land or even buildings—making it their private property provided if they have enough Col. And with the amount of Col that Phantom Blue had earned since day one since they've been diligently fighting monsters and completing quests since their guild's formation, they have more than enough Col to purchase a 500 acre land in the surrounding areas of the forest and lake. It isn't cheap, as it had taken more than half of the Col in their guild bank, but all of the guild had willingly paid the price for it, as they honestly wanted a home to call their own instead of camping all over the place.

It is only after they've made the purchase of the land when Kirito and Klein have accidentally stumbled upon a log cabin tucked away in the forest that is already part of Phantom Blue's private property—part of the reward for a quest available only for this floor alone that no player had ever attempted as the rewards are too low for the difficulty level.

Nirali _(Mochida)_ had actually jokingly stated to Ciav _(Shigehiro)_ whilst out of the earshot of most of their guild members that with the amount of land that they have purchased on this floor, should Shigehiro and Tamaki actually decided to get married in-game one day, they will have enough land to build a private house just for the two of them.

Most of the guild members had actually wondered at the reason behind the loud howl of pain that Mochida had given out that had actually startled several birds into flight from the trees. And also why the entire guild had came across Shigehiro moments after that disgruntling making a health potion appear from his inventory into his hand and handing it to Mochida who had half his health bar down in a supposedly safe area.

As none of the members of Phantom Blue had chosen Woodcrafting as part of their sub job classes, Tamaki and Shigehiro have to search for a player with a high enough skill in Woodcrafting to build their guild house.

Thankfully, there are plenty of players with the Woodcrafting skill lounging about in Floor 22. And not to mention that after things within the game had stabilised, there have been players that are creating merchant guilds or even crafting guilds—preferring to focus on that part instead of being a frontline player due to the fear of actually dying in the game. As those guilds actually made life easier for the more combat oriented players, no one had complained.

Thankfully, Tamaki's reputation as the head of Phantom Blue and as the leading strategist for the lead group had actually helped Phantom Blue in their search for a high level Woodcrafter, as Michitaka, the head of the largest crafting guild in the game had actually responded to Tamaki's request. His guild, Oceanic Systems actually consisted of players with every single crafting sub class ever known in the game—and all are high-level players.

Michitaka himself is a pretty high level Blacksmith, and after listening to what Tamaki and Phantom Blue wants for their guild house, he along with ten of his guild members have came to Coral with the various building supplies that they need to build a house. It had taken them nearly a week, but the end result had pleased all of Phantom Blue—as they now have a house that they can call their own. It is more of a log cabin that had two levels—with the second level mainly being their bedrooms. Now each guild member can have their own room. The first level is mainly the sitting area—with a fireplace and everything. The guild members of Phantom Blue had actually done quite a lot of shopping to furnish their guild house after that—as Michitaka had refused to accept payment from Tamaki, saying that he owed her several large favours anyway—and for her to consider this being one of the favours returned.

Sighing, Tamaki opened up her menu interface, selecting the cheese sandwich that Shigehiro had made earlier that morning for all of them. The rest of the guild have gone about completing quests or even level grinding that day whilst Tamaki and Shigehiro have opted to gather some intel due to an alarming increase of rumours regarding red and orange guilds lately.

The other clearing guilds have also been concerned—but thus far, all that the major guilds could do is to increase security around their various territories to decrease the chances of the players within their territories to get attacked by red or orange players.

The soft sounds of footsteps reaches her ears just then, and Tamaki looked up only to see Shigehiro approaching her with a solemn look on his face, and with a copy of the _SAO Daily_ in his hands. He sat down on the bench next to her, handing the paper in his hands to Tamaki who took it without a word. The headline news is that of another guild getting attacked by some orange guild on one of the lower floors.

"…It's getting way out of hand." Shigehiro said with a sigh. "We're going to have to do something."

"Honestly, we should already have seen this coming ever since Laughing Coffin had came into existence." Tamaki mused even as Shigehiro brought up his menu interface and making a beef sandwich appear in his hand from his inventory. "There has been an increase of red and orange players of late—even quite a few orange guilds. You know that—half the cells in the prison were full because of us."

And it is true.

After all, during the time when they got off from being on the front lines with the rest of the lead group—they spent it cracking down on orange or red players. Tamaki, Kirito and Shigehiro were particularly aggressive when it comes to hunting down the red and orange players—most probably due to what had happened to Ryusei and Pandemonium, and even Shinya.

Caet had even managed to max out his crafting skill just a mere week ago so that they no longer have to buy the expensive customised teleport crystals to bring those red and orange players to the prison cell. But instead, Caet could make the teleport crystals with materials. Those materials aren't cheap either—and they often have to get it from the various high level merchant guilds or even those high level merchants that have shops. Sometimes, when their usual routes couldn't secure those materials, they have to source for those materials by approaching the item hunters. But compared to continuously buying the customised teleport crystals, buying the materials for Caet to make those teleport crystals makes more sense.

Tamaki and Takao have also nearly maxed out their sub classes—having picked their sub jobs about a week after Kris had joined them. Takao had chosen to be a Brewer—much to their confusion. But no one had complained—especially not Klein and his friends who have missed the taste of alcoholic beverages. Takao's starting drinks had tasted horrible however, and it had taken lots of prompting and several test tastes from Caet and a cautious Kris before they were brave enough to try drinking Takao's drinks once more.

Tamaki on the other hand had chosen to be a Tailor after seeing the alarming number of pelts, leather and even cloth that they have gathered from all their level grinding—and after realising that being a Tailor meant that she could create high level armour and gear for her guild that wouldn't be available in shops—something that her guild needs if they want to survive long enough to reach the final floor.

Shigehiro said nothing—it is true after all.

"It's been nearly a year." Tamaki said suddenly, and Shigehiro turned towards her with a quirked brow. "It's been nearly a year since we've been trapped in Sword Art Online." Tamaki managed a small sad smile. "I wonder… What is going on in the real world?"

"If I know Seijuro at all, he will no doubt be in a pretty bad temper ever since we've gotten trapped in here." Shigehiro tried to joke to take Tamaki's mind off the more serious things. "He always is whenever it comes to you."

Tamaki smiled, and Shigehiro let out an internal whoop at seeing Tamaki smile—he hadn't seen her smile ever since their first year at middle school when he'd came over to Tokyo for the end of year holidays, spending nearly a month with both Seijuro and Tamaki. And with everything that had happened at Teiko during her final two years, Shigehiro isn't surprised in the least.

Tamaki then leaned her head backwards, looking up at the night sky full of glittering and shining stars—all sparkling like diamonds on black velvet. "…The night sky is beautiful tonight," she said at last. "You could never see a sight like this back in the real world. Sometimes, it makes me forget that we're in a game." Tamaki gave a small smile. "Ciav, have you looked at the night sky like this in the real world?"

"No, I haven't."

"I have. Countless times. More than I care to remember." Tamaki whispered. "My parents are never around when they were still alive—caring more about their jobs than anything else. They aren't the best parents in the world, but still…" She trailed off slowly, and Shigehiro looked sad. He of course knew about Tamaki's family situation from Seijuro before he'd moved away. It is mainly the reason why Tamaki and Seijuro have spent so much time together with each other when they were children—they are all that the other had. Tamaki because she is always alone, and Seijuro because of his father. "Whenever I feel lonely, I used to climb to the top of the roof and watch the stars from there—or at least, whatever stars that I could see anyway. It makes me feel less lonely. Whenever I feel sad or even upset, I do the same thing." Tamaki gave a weak smile. "But I guess, it's no good after all…"

Shigehiro was then taken aback as he felt Tamaki leaning against his shoulder.

"Tam—Tsuyu?"

"Sorry. Just let me stay like this… For just a little while." Tamaki murmured, her eyes closed.

Shigehiro smiled before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah. Stay as long as you like," he whispered, listening to Tamaki's breathing even out as she drifted off to sleep.

With just how stressed that Tamaki had been lately—both with the issue with the red and orange players and then with the lead group, it is a wonder that Tamaki had been able to get any rest at all. In fact, the off days that the lead group had gotten had been mainly due to the various guild leaders in the lead group noticing just how hard Tamaki had been pushing herself as their leading strategist and also as one of their frontline fighters, and all of them have petitioned to let all their guilds and the solo players in the lead group to have two weeks of vacation to recharge themselves.

Shigehiro leaned in close to Tamaki before he hesitated, and drew back again. He stared at his clenched fist—the one not holding Tamaki in place. "It's not good, is it, Seijuro?" he whispered, looking upwards at the night sky. "We might be childhood friends, but…" He trailed off slowly before closing his eyes briefly. "…Just let me stay by her side. It's enough for me."

**XXXXXX**

_~February 20, 2024; Floor 30: Lisan~_

"Are we missing anything else?" Kirito asked Tamaki and Shigehiro who were both looking through the shopping list that Tamaki had with her, crossing out the items that they've gotten, and had placed away in their inventories.

The trio have gone on shopping duty that day, since the others either want to go level grind some more, or gather some intel on any new quests that they could take to earn more Col. With just how much that the land that they've built their guild house on had cost, let alone the furniture and items that they've bought to furnish it, each and every single member of Phantom Blue is running a little low on Col right now—both the guild bank and their own private funds. It is just fortunate that they have a Pharmacist _(Kris),_ thus, they do not have to worry about running low on health potions.

"Uh…" Shigehiro peered over Tamaki's right shoulder, with Kirito peering over her left shoulder. The two could easily do that since they both towered over Tamaki by a head at least. Even Kris who is by far the smallest in the entire guild is taller by Tamaki by a few inches, much to her annoyance. "I think we've gotten everything. We just have to remember to drop by Michitaka's guild to collect the items that Caet had requested for his teleport crystals. We're running low on that, apparently."

"We need more food ingredients as well." Tamaki stated, shoving the shopping list into her pocket and turning to face the two boys with her. "We're running low on that as well—and we need energy to function."

"Let's drop by the merchant's then." Kirito suggested. "Or even the item shop—"

"Please! Avenge them, I beg you!"

"What's going on over there?" Tamaki wondered, looking towards the source of the disturbance only to see a crowd forming in the middle of the marketplace.

"Let's go check it out." Shigehiro suggested, and his two companions nodded before they moved towards the crowd.

The three teens pushed their way through the forming crowd until they are somewhere at the front only to see a man with dark brown hair dressed in Swordsman gear with a frantic look on his face, with tears forming around his eyes, clutching at the cloak of a nearby Swashbuckler who looked bewildered.

"Please! My guild! Avenge them, I beg you!"

"What's going on here?" Kirito wondered in complete confusion as they watched the man approaching player after player.

"Poor thing." A Swordsman not too far away from the trio whispered to his companion. "I heard that his entire guild got wiped out by one of the orange guilds. He was the only one that managed to escape the massacre—and that is only because he's got a Teleport Crystal with him."

Tamaki, Shigehiro and Kirito exchanged quick looks with each other the moment they heard the words 'orange guild' and they nodded. Tamaki approached the distraught Swordsman with Shigehiro and Kirito close behind her, dropping a hand down onto his shoulder. The man turned around in surprise, desperation all over his face.

"Please!" He pleaded again. "Please help me! Avenge my guild, I beg you!"

Tamaki exchanged looks with the other two boys again before she sighed, turning towards the Swordsman. "…We'll listen to what you have to say," she said at last.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, the three members of Phantom Blue along with the Swordsman are all in the restaurant on the first level of the Laughing Cats Inn—the inn of this particular floor, all nursing a cup of warm tea in their hands.<p>

"My name is Haz." The Swordsman introduced himself the moment that he'd managed to calm himself down, sitting across the three members of Phantom Blue. "I'm the guild leader of Silver Flags."

"It's a relatively new guild if I'm not mistaken." Tamaki frowned, trying to remember what she knew of that guild. "It's one of the combat guilds, but also one of the smaller ones."

"Yes. That's right."

"What happened?" Kirito asked bluntly. "You keep asking for someone to avenge your guild."

Haz's hands started to shake. "…It happened in one of the field dungeons on level 29," he said at last, raising his eyes to meet the eyes of the three in front of him. "Silver Flags is a relatively new guild, you see—having just five members—including myself. And we neither have the funds or even the skills like some of the top guilds in this game. We've been spending every single day just level grinding to improve our skills and level—hoping to at least make it out alive of this game." He placed his head into his hands. "…It happened six days ago. My guild and I were level grinding in one of the field dungeons on level 29. We met this woman who claimed that she had gotten separated from her party, and asked for us to escort her to the town in level 30—saying that she'll pay us a handsome amount of Col if we agree. As we are all running low on Col and potions after the last monster quest that we were on, we didn't really have a choice. And some of our weapons and gear need replacing too. That woman is a green player, so we didn't find anything off about it—since there are players from time to time who require a party escort to a safe area. We agreed to her request."

The three members of Phantom Blue exchanged looks. They had a pretty good idea where this is leading now. Because this is almost exactly like the modus operandi of one of the orange guilds that they've been on the lookout for some time now.

"But we ended up running into a trap." Haz clutched at his hair with his fingers. "That woman lead us to some field dungeon before an entire group of orange and red players cornered us. They killed my entire guild! I barely got out of there alive—and that is only because I have a Teleport Crystal with me. Please!" Haz clutched at Tamaki's wrists. "Avenge my guild! I beg you!"

Tamaki sighed, trying to ignore the curious looks from several of the other players also in the restaurant. Shigehiro glared at the curious bystanders before they flinched and pretended to busy themselves with whatever that is in their hands.

"First things first. Let go of me." Tamaki requested politely, before Haz blushed and released his hold on Tamaki. "And let me ask you this now: when you ask us to avenge your guild, do you mean that you want us to kill them in retaliation for what had happened to your guild?" Tamaki's voice had turned extremely low and frightening.

"Heavens, no!" Haz protested immediately, eyes wide with shock. "I will _never_ ask you to be a Player Killer!" He said. "No." He shook his head. "I would never ask you to do that. I would never ask you to kill them. It's not what my guild would want." He paused before looking into their eyes once more. "I just… I just want you arrest them and jail them." He said at last, much to the surprise of the three members of Phantom Blue. "I don't want anyone to kill them. I want them in prison—until we all get out of this game—whenever that is. Please." He pleaded again. "I'll give you every single bit of Col that I have if I have to! Avenge my guild. Arrest them. Please."

The three members of Phantom Blue exchanged looks before nodding. If this is really an orange guild, they can't leave it alone. The guilds in the lead group have all been unusually concerned about it of late, due to the number of murders and crimes that have been taking place lately.

"Tsuyu." Kirito sighed, looking at the guild leader of Phantom Blue.

"I know. We can't leave this be." Tamaki murmured before she looked back at Haz who is looking at them hopefully. "We'll take your request. We don't need you to pay us for this—keep your money. You'll need it."

Haz hesitated and nodded. "…At the very least, let me buy the teleportation crystal for you to jail those guys once you find them," he said. "It's the least I can do."

* * *

><p>"I'll send word out to the others—telling them to keep a lookout." Tamaki said the moment that Haz had said goodbye to them after buying a teleportation crystal that had basically taken him all his money to get. The guy wouldn't take no for an answer even though Kirito and Shigehiro have both tried to explain that a member of their guild could create a Teleport Crystal. Haz had even stated that if they're doing this for free as it is, then the least that he could do is to secure the teleportation crystal for the jail for them. "And I think I got a pretty good idea which orange guild it is. Their modus operandi… It is pretty similar to that guild."<p>

"Titan's Hand." Shigehiro added, and the other two nodded. "Funny that they would appear on level 29 when our info stated that they're somewhere between floor 33 to floor 36."

"They're probably searching for potential victims since most of the territories belonging to the major guilds like the Knights of Blood Oath, the Liberation Army along with a few other guilds have seen an increase of security of late thanks to Laughing Coffin." Tamaki sighed. "The guild leaders of ICE and Black Blade are saying the same thing too, since there has been a spate of crimes happening around their individual areas as well. And not to mention that we have that meeting amongst all members of the lead group on floor 50 in a month, and the floor dungeon battles before that." She murmured.

"I'll poke around myself for information on Titan's Hand." Kirito volunteered. "The both of you get back to the others and tell them about it. We'll meet up in a few days. We have at most a week to get this settled since we have to get back to the frontlines by then."

"All right. Sounds like a plan."

**XXXXXX**

_~February 23, 2024; Floor 35: Mishe~_

It was nearly three days before both Shigehiro and Tamaki received a message from Kirito, telling them that he had a new lead after stumbling upon a girl—a Beast Tamer in one of the forests on floor 35. Her beast—a blue dragon was unfortunately killed in a scuffle with several of the forest's monsters before Kirito had showed up, and he had offered to assist the girl to revive her tamed beast at the Hill of Memories—a place where the tamed beasts in SAO could be revived as long as they do it within three days, and if they still have the pet's heart. And of course, the pet's owner must be present too.

Kirito had also stated that he had word from some of the information brokers that members of Titan's Hand had been seen around Mishe, and for the both of them to head there immediately.

The rest of Phantom Blue had understood the situation, and though more than one of them wanted to go with both Shigehiro and Tamaki to assist Kirito _(Klein and Kaz),_ they would be attracting unnecessary attention if too many of them appear on Mishe. Hence, it was decided that the rest of the guild would head back to the front lines to assist with the battles until they get back.

Tamaki had opened up her menu interface and her friends' menu the moment that Shigehiro and herself have arrived in Mishe that night via the Teleport Gate. Mishe actually used to be one of the main adventuring areas for the mid-level players. But as more of the upper floors were unlocked with the Floor Boss of each area defeated, Mishe soon became less populated.

"He's in the town." Shigehiro murmured as he saw the icon representing Kirito flashing on Tamaki's map interface. "Let's go."

As Mishe isn't a very large town to begin with, and not to mention that all of Phantom Blue had been here before as part of the lead group, both Tamaki and Shigehiro knew their way about the town.

Thus, it wasn't too long before they found Kirito standing next to a girl maybe about thirteen or fourteen with hazel coloured hair tied in two pigtails with orange ribbons, wearing a yellow and brown tunic. The two seemed to be arguing with a trio of players—the leader whom seemed to be a redhead woman that gives off a nasty vibe.

"—But at your level, will you be able to clear it?" The woman openly mocked the younger girl.

Kirito said nothing, but a muscle in his cheek twitched, and it is at this point when both Tamaki and Shigehiro decided to announce their presences.

"What's going on over here?" Shigehiro asked, even as they approached the group.

Kirito turned towards them in relief. "You're late!" he reprimanded, though he had a small smile on his face as he said so, thus, the two knew that he isn't entirely serious. "The others?"

"They've gone on ahead. We're on our own for this." Tamaki said, eyes flickering between the girl by Kirito's side, and then to the three players in front of them. "What is going on here?"

"Nothing much. I can handle this." Kirito assured them before he stepped in front of the girl with him, semi-glaring at the trio of players before them. "Silica will be all right. She can clear the level. It isn't that hard anyway."

The redhead looked annoyed as she sneered at Kirito. "You're another one she's seduced?" she sneered. "You don't look particularly strong to me."

Tamaki sighed. "Let's go," she told the three who nodded, and as one, they moved down the street, with Shigehiro actually stamping on the foot of the redhead as he passed. The girl with Kirito—Silica actually laughed as the redhead let out a series of curses as she nursed her foot, with her two sidekicks flailing beside her.

* * *

><p>Tamaki booked an inn room large enough for all four of them in the local inn before Kirito started trying to calm Silica down in the inn's tavern, since she was actually on the verge of crying earlier before Tamaki and Shigehiro have arrived.<p>

"Why is she so mean?" Silica sounded upset.

The three older players exchanged looks, not knowing what to say. They've seen several players who have became really nasty in recent months—probably due to the situation and everything.

"Is SAO your first MMO?" Tamaki asked at last, glancing at the younger girl sitting beside her who nodded. "In any online game, a lot of people's personalities change. Some enjoy playing as outright villains." She murmured. "In every virtual MMO, online crimes come with the territory—it happens in every MMO. For example, in SAO…" She trailed off slowly before pointing upwards—towards her player cursor. "Our players' cursors are green, right?" Silica nodded slowly.

"In Sword Art Online however, there are rules that players have to follow—even though there are no really serious consequences for committing crimes." Kirito added, stirring his tea. "If you commit a crime in SAO, the player indicator will turn orange." He gestured towards the player indicator above his head. "The worst criminals, the Player Killer—in other words, those who've killed someone, are also known as Red Players."

Silica gasped. "You mean the murderers?" she whispered.

"In most MMOs, lots of players have 'fun' that way—by hunting down fellow players and hurting or killing them." Shigehiro said darkly. "I've played a few virtual games in the past that actually encourages the players to kill fellow players. In any other game, they could've had fun while role playing as the bad guy." He exchanged looks with Tamaki and Kirito who both have grim looks of understanding on their faces. "However, Sword Art Online is different."

Silica's lips trembled as she remembered what Kayaba Akihiko had told all of them on the day of the official opening of Sword Art Online nearly a year ago—when he had announced that Sword Art Online had became a death game.

It is no longer just a simple game any longer.

"This game is not just a game any longer." Kirito growled, his hands tightening around his cup as his eyes darkened over—recalling what had happened with his former guild, and what he had almost became had Asuna and Tamaki not pulled him out of his inner darkness, and if Egil, Klein, Shigehiro and all the other boys in Phantom Blue had not been there for him. Ryusei and Shinya… They are the proof that this game is no longer just a simple game any longer.

"Kirito." Shigehiro sighed, giving an obvious gesture with his eyes towards a scared looking Silica, and Kirito snapped out of the dark mood that he is in.

"Oh… Sorry." Kirito murmured.

Tamaki exchanged looks with Shigehiro before turning towards Silica. "We haven't introduced ourselves yet, have we?" she enquired. "I'm Tsuyu. Nice to meet you."

"Silica." Silica said timidly, grasping Tamaki's hand in a handshake. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Ciav." Shigehiro added. "We're Kirito's guildmates. He told us about your situation, and we came to help." He glanced at Kirito. "Well, we have some business on the way anyway, so it is no problem for us."

"So how are we going to get to the Hill of Memories?" Shigehiro questioned before Kirito brought up his menu interface, and in a flash of light, a map appeared on the table in front of them. "Normally, we can usually warp ourselves over there as we've been there before, but Silica hasn't been there before, right?"

In Sword Art Online, once a player has been to an area once—be it a floor dungeon or even a town, they can immediately warp themselves over to the location by usage of the Teleport Gate that could be found in every town.

"We have to walk there, I guess." Tamaki murmured, finger tapping on the table as she glanced at the area map of Floor 47: Floria. "Let's go by this route, and—"

As one, the three older players stiffened before they turned towards the same direction at the same time, one hand on their weapons only to see a dark shadow fleeing out of the inn at the same moment when a couple of Swordsmen entered, laughing about something.

"Who was that?" Silica asked nervously, tugging at Tamaki's sleeve. "Are they spying on us?"

"Tsuyu. They heard us." Kirito said grimly, and his two guildmates nodded.

"B-But whoever they are—they are sitting quite far away, aren't they? They couldn't have heard us—"

"It's different if your listening skill is high enough." Kirito cut in, exchanging looks with Tamaki, since both of them have maxed out their skills in Searching, Hiding and Sprint, though Tamaki had chosen Listening as one of her skills too. It is what makes her so effective and deadly as an Assassin. "But few people invest the time to raise it."

"But why would anyone want to listen in on us?" Silica wondered.

"I wonder?" Tamaki murmured, exchanging knowing looks with the other two.

**XXXXXX**

_~February 24, 2024; Floor 47: Florida~_

Floria on Floor 47 is one of the most beautiful places in Sword Art Online—though as what Kaz and Kris would argue—Coral is much more beautiful as it has lakes and forests as compared to the endless fields of flowers that Floria has. Due to its blooming flower fields, it is a popular place for dates amongst the players, with few single players wandering on this floor.

Silica was delighted when they've first arrived at the famous Flower Garden—the gate plaza of Floria. There is a bout of awkwardness however when Silica had apparently realised that this place is full of players on dates. Thankfully, Kirito is too oblivious to realise Silica's already developing crush on him.

Honestly, Tamaki has no idea whether Kirito even realises that half the girls whom he'd met had crushes the size of Aincard on him, or if he _did_ realise but pretended that he didn't see anything. Honestly, the teal head pitied poor Asuna…

The pathway towards where the flower of revival is located is beautiful—with fields of different coloured flowers blooming, but there are also lots of powerful monsters around to hinder their progress—the same with any other field dungeon. But due to their high levels and skills, Tamaki, Shigehiro and Kirito could deal with any monster threat with their HP bar barely falling into the yellow zone, while also keeping an eye on Silica to make sure that she doesn't fall into danger.

It was nearly noon by the time that they've reached where the flower of revival is located, and Silica was delighted when she could finally hold it and place it into her item inventory. And while she wanted to revive her faithful tamed beast as soon as possible, Kirito had suggested that they revive the beast once they're back in town due to the field dungeon crawling with powerful monsters.

"Someone's here." Shigehiro murmured in Tamaki's ear even as he slowed down his walk, hand dropping to his blade by his side. Beside him, Tamaki nodded, having sensed several presences with her Seeking skill.

Silica was humming to herself happily as she almost skipped along—a fair contrast to how she had been for the past day when Tamaki and Shigehiro who were both bringing up the fore of the party stopped in their tracks, and Tamaki held out an arm.

"Tsuyu-san?" Silica squeaked, and Kirito who is beside her held her back by her shoulder, a frown on his face. "Kirito-san?"

"Whoever's behind those trees, come out." Tamaki commanded in a dangerous voice. She had a pretty good idea who those players that she can sense are, especially if that redhead woman whom they've met in Mishe is who Tamaki suspects to be.

For a moment, nothing happened before a lone figure emerged from the trees.

"R-Rosalia-san?" Silica squeaked as she recognised the redhead woman. The three other players with the Beast Tamer recognised the redhead as well—it is the same woman who had been awfully mean to Silica in Mishe the day before.

"If you can see through my hiding skill, your detection skill must be quite high, Assassin." Rosalia said with a fake smile plastered on her lips, a tri-pronged spear grasped in one hand. "And it seems you've managed to get the flower of revival." All traces of pleasantry fell off her face just then. "Now hand it over."

"W-What are you talking about?" Silica squeaked, confused beyond anything else right now, but was determined to protect the flower of revival that she had gone through so much for.

"That isn't going to happen, Rosalia-san." Kirito said with narrowed eyes even as he took half a step forwards, gesturing with his eyes towards Silica that both Tamaki and Shigehiro understood—and the two took up positions by Silica's sides immediately—if anything happens, the two would protect the lower levelled player. "No." Kirito shook his head. "Or should I say, leader of the orange guild, Titan's Hand. We've been looking for you." He added, his lips curling and his eyes flashing dangerously.

Unlike some the members of his guild, Kirito had never held such severe _dislike_ towards the red or orange players of Sword Art Online. However, it is true that he held them in contempt. And after hearing from Kaz what the entire guild had witnessed when Pandemonium had met their end at the hands of Laughing Coffin, Kirito isn't surprised that Tamaki, Shigehiro, Kaz, Nirali and even Caet have disliked them so much. Hell, even Kris and Klein detested the red and orange players.

"O-Orange guild?" Silica echoed in confusion, looking from Rosalia to the other three players with her. "But her player indicator is green!"

"It's a pretty simple trick." Tamaki said, eyes narrowed at Rosalia. "The green members find targets, and lead them to where the orange players are waiting. That had been the modus operandi of Titan's Hand." She glanced at Rosalia. "Last night in the inn's tavern, that had been one of your guild members that had been listening in on us, right?"

"T-Then the reason we were in the same party for two weeks…" Silica looks about to faint at this point.

"That's right." Rosalia said with a cruel smirk upon her lips. "I was assessing their strength while waiting for them to earn money from adventurers. And then you said that you were going after a rare item." Her eyes went towards the three players with Silica. "However, you knew all that, but went with her anyway? Are all three of you idiots?"

"Nothing like that." Tamaki said, eyes narrowed. "If it's one thing I hate, it is orange and red players." She said, her voice going dangerously low, and next to her, Silica gulped. If this is Tsuyu-san getting angry, then the Beast Tamer knew that she never wanted to have Tsuyu-san honestly pissed at her. "We've also been searching for you and your guild, Rosalia-san." Sharp blue eyes flickered around the surroundings, carefully pinpointing the hiding spots of the various players whom she could sense.

"What are you talking about?"

Kirito narrowed his eyes, recalling how desperate Haz had been, and how he had spent days begging every player that he had seen to avenge his fallen guild members until they'd stumbled upon him in Lisan.

"Ten days ago, you attacked a guild called the Silver Flags." Kirito stated, the light undertones of anger lacing his tone. "Four people, all but the leader, died."

"Oh, the ones with no money." Rosalia said uncaringly, twirling a lock of her hair in between her fingers.

Kirito narrowed his eyes at Rosalia. "Their leader went from the warp point to the front lines, from morning until night, begging someone to avenge them. But he didn't want you killed. He wanted someone to jail you. Can you understand how he felt?"

"Nope." Rosalia said uncaringly. "What kind of idiot would take this seriously? There's no proof that killing someone here means they die in real life."

Tamaki narrowed her eyes. It is one point in common with the orange and red players—they either refused to believe or did not believe Kayaba Akihiko when he had stated that Sword Art Online had became a death game. The ideals and beliefs of Laughing Coffin especially had spread, and that is why more and more orange and red guilds had started forming.

"Anyway, shouldn't you be more concerned for yourselves?" Rosalia questioned with a smirk on her lips as she snapped her fingers. And then, from the trees surrounding her, several players with orange and red indicators above their heads emerged.

Silica took a step backwards in fear, and only a hand on her shoulder from Tamaki stopped her from actually fleeing or falling to the ground. "T-There are too many!" she squeaked in fear.

"Calm down." Shigehiro told her. "It'll be all right. We can handle it." He glanced at Kirito's back, seeing that his stance is tense—indicating that he is ready to move. Honestly, with how low levelled that these guys are, as compared to them, there is no way that any of them could kill them even on their best day. "Do you want to handle it, or should we?"

"No, I'll handle it." Kirito called back over his shoulder. "You both keep Silica safe."

"Will do."

"There are too many of them, Kirito-san!" Silica said, worried. She then turned towards the only other female in their current party, and who had also become a sort of older sister to the Beast Tamer. "Tsuyu-san!"

The members of Titan's Hand save for Rosalia paused in their steps as they heard two of the more well known names of the players that are known to be on the front lines of the lead group. "Kirito? Tsuyu?" One of them echoed slowly, studying Kirito's form from top to bottom as he approached them with a sword in hand. "Black clothes. A one handed no-shield style…" He then glanced at Tamaki only to see the guild leader symbol next to her name, with the name of the guild below it, and his eyes widened. "It can't be…! Rosalia-san, they are members from the Phantom Blue guild, one of the top guilds that are on the front lines. They're in the lead group!"

"The lead group?" Silica echoed in confusion, looking from Kirito to Tamaki and Shigehiro and back again.

"Someone from the lead group wouldn't be down here!" Rosalia said, not believing that she had members from one of the top guilds in front of her. "Go get them! And take everything they own!"

Silica gasped in horror even though neither one of the other three players with her were concerned in the least even as the members of Titan's Hand slashed at Kirito with their blades at every part of him that they could reach. And yet, Kirito did nothing to defend himself but just stand there. And neither Tamaki nor Shigehiro were concerned in the least.

"Kirito-san…!" Silica trembled even as she reached for her blade only to pause in her actions when Tamaki drop a hand onto her shoulder.

"Calm down, Silica. They won't be able to so much as harm Kirito." Tamaki told the younger girl. "They're way below our levels. And not to mention that Kirito had Battle Healing as one of his skills. He can stand there all day, and they won't be able to so much as whittle his HP down five percent."

"What?"

Now that Silica looked closer, she could see that Kirito's HP bar kept regenerating back to full, no matter how many attacks was launched on him.

"About 400 in 10 seconds." Kirito murmured, glancing around him at the exhausted players. "That's the total damage that you seven can do to me. I'm level 78. I have 14,500 HP. My battle healing skill auto-regenerates 600 points every 10 seconds. We could stand here all day, and you'd never beat me." Kirito stated, and some of the players glared. A few even turned their eyes towards where Tamaki and Shigehiro were standing with Silica. "And if you intend to target either Tsuyu or Ciav, I'll advise you to drop the idea—not unless you want a first hand experience in testing out just how fast and deadly a level 78 Assassin or Swashbuckler could be."

"But if you want to try, then by all means, go on ahead." Tamaki stated, stepping in front of Silica and drawing out one of her blades. "I've said before that I hate orange and red players. It is people like you that people like Shinya and Ryusei who did nothing wrong but just be in the wrong place at the wrong time wouldn't be going home. It is people like you that Ryusei's sister wouldn't be having her brother back. It is people like _you_ that over 200 people are already dead! We've searched for you for nearly six months." Tamaki brought out her menu interface to make the teleport crystal that Haz had given them appear in a flash of light in her hand. "Haz, the leader of Silver Flags spent his entire fortune to buy this warp crystal. It's set to take you to the prison where all of you would stay until we get out of this game—whenever that is." Tamaki took another step forwards, and the players surrounding Kirito took a step back in fear. "You would all be going there—you would be accompanying the several red and orange players that we've already sent there!"

Kirito smirked to himself before his eyes snapped towards Rosalia who tasted fear for the first time in her life—realising that she's totally outclassed as compared to the three high level players in front of her. Is this what a member from the lead group is?

"I'm green, so if you hurt me, you'll go orange—"

Whatever that Rosalia said was cut off as Kirito vanished in a flash of light, and placed the sharp edge of his sword against Rosalia's neck. "Just so we're clear, I couldn't care less if I go orange for a few days—just like how the rest of my guild wouldn't care if they are permanent orange players due to what they have undertaken just to protect the rest of the players in SAO." Kirito hissed. "All of us in Phantom Blue made that resolve long ago—to stop the red and orange guilds. You wouldn't be hurting anyone ever again."

**XXXXXX**

_~February 24, 2024; Floor 35: Mishe~_

"Sorry Silica. We ended up using you as bait." Kirito apologised hours later after Rosalia and the rest of Titan's Hand were forcibly transported to the prison via the warp crystal that Haz had bought for that purpose. Silica had also witnessed a teary eyed Haz as he thanked Tsuyu, Kirito and Ciav over and over again for helping to avenge his guild. "Phantom Blue is famous—and sometimes, not in a good way. It isn't like we thought that we couldn't trust you. It is just that we'd learned early on not to tell anyone that we're from Phantom Blue." Kirito exchanged a wry smile with Shigehiro and Tamaki who were both leaning against the wall on opposite sides of the door in the inn room that they're in.

"I understand." Silica said, all smiles now that she had her Tamed Beast with her once more. Said Tamed Beast is now snoozing in a corner atop one of the pillows in the room. "Kirito-san, Tsuyu-san and Ciav-san are all good people. I believe that."

Kirito smiled slightly as he glanced at Tamaki and Shigehiro. "…I wasn't always with Phantom Blue," he said out of the blue, much to Silica's surprise. "I was with another guild before I'd joined them. But something happened with my guild—all of them died." He admitted, and Silica's eyes widened in horror. "I was in a pretty rough place after that—I just don't care whether I live or die. But it had been Klein, Tsuyu and Ciav that have dragged me out of that dark place. Asuna had helped me to heal after that." He admitted. "I…just don't want someone to become like me in the past."

"Kirito-san…" Silica said sadly. "So you're all leaving then?"

"Yeah. We've been away for long enough. We need to get back." Tamaki sighed.

Right on cue, there was a light beep from Tamaki's menu interface just then, and she brought it up only to see that it is a message from Kaz—asking for them to get back to the front lines at once.

"Is it from Kaz?" Kirito asked, and Tamaki nodded.

"We're needed back on the front lines." Tamaki sighed. "Kirito, we should go."

"I know."

"The lead group is amazing." Silica said, with envy in her tone. "I could never be one, no matter how hard I tried."

Tamaki had a small smile on her lips. "Levels are just numbers in the end—especially for a battle level system like SAO," she said. "Besides, no matter how real things seem to be in here, none of it is real. In this world, strength is just an illusion."

Kirito smiled before getting to his feet. Shigehiro had opened the door—with all three members of Phantom Blue ready to leave. "Silica, get stronger." Kirito told the girl. "Let's meet in the real world the next time—all of us." His eyes flickered towards Tamaki and Shigehiro. "We can introduce you to the rest of our friends at the same time as well." He promised. "Because while strength in this world is an illusion, the bonds and friendships that we've formed are real."

**XXXXXX**

_Strength in this world is an illusion, but the bonds and friendships that we've formed here are real. Kirito said something like this today to this Beast Tamer that we've befriended when we're fulfilling a request for someone._

_I wonder, if our first year at Teiko is an illusion too? We were so happy back then. What had changed, Sei? It's been nearly a year since then. In a few more months, it would be what should be our second year of high school. How is everyone?_

_We haven't given up yet, Sei. We're coming home. All of us._

_I promise._

_Posted on 24 February 2024 | 06:00PM | Poster: Tsuyu_

* * *

><p><em>AN: Honestly, I'm not really sure what to think about this chapter. It might be one of the longer chapters, but also one of the more 'canon' chapters. The next SAO chapter is an original chapter, as it involves one of Phantom Blue's chases after Laughing Coffin, and also deals with Shigehiro's feelings for Tamaki. As for the next chapter, it will involve Seirin as I've been leaving them out of the loop for awhile now._

_Kuroko Tamaki: Assassin, Tailor (Tsuyu)  
><em>_Takao Kazunari: Swordsman, Brewer (Kaz)  
><em>_Mayuzumi Chihiro: Samurai, Crafter (Caet)  
><em>_Ogiwara Shigehiro: Swashbuckler, Chef (Ciav)  
><em>_Mochida Kanata: Defender, Blacksmith (Nirali)  
><em>_Sakurai Ryou: Swordsman, Pharmacist (Kris)_

_Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review! Reviews give me inspiration to update!_


	8. Waiting

**Pairings:** Shigehiro/Tamaki. Kirito/Asuna.

**Warnings:** AU Universe. OOC. Gender swap. Minor character bashing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basuke and Sword Art Online or any of the characters, but the OC characters belongs to me

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><p><strong>Chapter Eight: Waiting<strong>

Kagami Taiga's life had alternated between school, basketball practice and the hospital. And before he knew it, nearly an entire year had passed since the SAO incident—and he is already waiting for the results of his year end examinations.

All of Seirin had nearly collapsed when they'd first heard about Tamaki via a panicked phone call from Kawahara, and had seen the news about the SAO incident on the television and even on the radio. But until every single one of them have actually seen Tamaki lying on a hospital bed with the NerveGear over her head, it just didn't seem _real_ at all.

For several weeks after the SAO incident, Kagami kept turning towards the empty seat in front of his—asking Tamaki to help him with questions that he didn't understand like how he'd always done since day one only to remember that Tamaki can't do that anymore—and she isn't sitting in front of him any longer.

After all schools have reopened after the one week break because of the SAO incident, there was a school assembly held by their principal to address the recent nation wide crisis. For it isn't just Tamaki alone in Seirin High who had been an SAO victim. Including the teal head, there were six other victims in Seirin who were also SAO victims—coming from all years. The principal had encouraged the students who were classmates or even club mates of the SAO victims to seek out the school counsellor to talk if they feel distressed.

For several days, not a single member of the basketball club had gone to seek out the school counsellor even though they were well aware that their other schoolmates did. In fact, the teachers of Seirin High had to actually make the entire basketball club go for counselling after their individual homeroom teachers have reported how distressed that they have been—and how badly that their grades have fallen—especially Furihata, Riko and Izuki who have been excellent students.

Furihata had later confided in his teammates at lunchtime one day that the counselling sessions had actually helped. Privately however, Kagami is sure that every single one of his teammates have blamed themselves for Tamaki—even though they knew that they wouldn't have been able to do anything. Izuki and Koganei especially were in terrible states, as it could have easily been them lying in that hospital bed now, and not Tamaki.

Every single day, Seirin went to the hospital to visit their teammate—and every single day, they received the same damn news from Dr. Midorima. No changes so far.

And every month, the list of casualties of the SAO incident grew longer and longer. So much so that Kagami almost feared watching the news or even listening to the radio—fearful that he might one day see or hear Tamaki's name amongst the list of casualties.

Furihata, Fukuda and Kawahara have paid close attention to the news and even the forum boards about the SAO incident—along with nearly half of their team. And so far, what the authorities knew isn't exactly comforting.

Whatever that SAO's bastard of a creator had done, he knew what he was doing. Not one of the computer experts assigned to the SAO task force could figure out what Kayaba Akihiko had done, as he had locked down all of SAO's servers so that no one could even log in at this point, even if they had a NerveGear and a copy of the game.

Tamaki's elusive cousin was in a horrible temper for months after the SAO incident, and every single time that he saw Seirin or anyone who isn't his mother or one of his teammates (former or otherwise), the first thing that he did is to snap at them for the littlest of reasons. While Seirin would usually defend one of their own, they didn't this time—as probably, every single one of them had blamed themselves for what had befallen their youngest member. Akashi's temper had let up after nearly six months, but even still, Kagami is still uneasy whenever he ran into that scary redhead at the hospital. The redhead had been awfully bad tempered with a sharp tongue to boot whenever he ran into any member of Seirin—and honestly, Kagami can't really blame him either.

The redhead just wants someone to blame. And seeing as how Kayaba Akihiko is currently under strict police supervision in the police hospital—also trapped within the game, the only people whom Akashi could blame is just Seirin, though at the same time, he is also thankful to them for bringing his cousin's smile back.

Aoi, Tamaki's adorable little husky that she had taken in sometime after the Seirin versus Shutoku match is extremely upset as well. But as pets aren't allowed in the hospital, Tamaki's aunt had taken the little mutt in. Every single time that Seirin had gone to Rising Sun to have their usual after training meals that happens at least three to four times a week, they usually saw Aoi lying in a corner next to the kitchen's entrance, looking really upset—eyes always fixated on the entrance as if hoping that the next person to walk through the doors of the restaurant is his beloved owner.

Kagami visited Tamaki every single day—rain or shine, weekday or weekend. And no matter how tired he is, or how late it is, the redhead went every single day to the hospital to visit his teammate and his best friend—his anchor… His _sister._

He is probably the only member of the team that Akashi Seijuro slowly start to warm up to, the other being Kiyoshi-sempai who had returned to the team barely a month after the SAO incident.

Kagami is surprised to learn later from Hyuuga and Riko that Kiyoshi-sempai actually knew Tamaki even before she'd entered Seirin High—the two have gone against each other in basketball matches during their middle school years, and have mutual respect for each other. The brunette Center had even looked forward to meeting Tamaki once he is cleared to return to the team after Riko and Hyuuga have told him about the new members of the team.

He just didn't expect for _this_ to happen even before he'd returned to the team.

The most nerve wrenching thing of this entire thing is that Kagami and all of Seirin knew that there isn't _anything_ that they could have done to help at this point. The only thing that they could do is to wait, hoping for some kind of miracle or for some kind of breakthrough from the computer experts.

It was nearly six months after the SAO incident when Furihata had suddenly came to practice one day, waving about a magazine, and saying something about the SAO forum. Kagami knew from Tamaki that the SAO forum is a function that had already been available even during the beta test period that actually allows the players of the game to post status updates, pictures or even videos that they've taken in the game itself on the forum. Much like the game servers of SAO, the forum's servers were actually locked down as well—thus no new memberships could be created at this time, but the players currently trapped within the game could still post status updates and messages.

It is like a beacon of hope to all the waiting families and friends of the SAO victims. It had actually been Kise who had told Seirin the avatar name that Tamaki had been using—having heard of it from Akashi. Seirin kept checking Tamaki's member page every single day after that—hoping for some kind of message from her to tell them that she's all right.

And throughout it all, Seirin is going to pieces.

The showing at the basketball tournaments this year is beyond horrendous, with every single team having lost at least one member or two to the SAO incident. And with how distracted and worried that Seirin had been—worried that when they wake up the next morning, it is to receive news that their teammate is dead—it isn't really surprising to any of the teams that had known them that they've gotten kicked out of the Inter High after losing to both Shutoku and Seiho.

When they've played Seiho after that one month break that the authorities had declared due to the SAO incident, that loudmouth freshman of Seiho even had the audacity to mock them for being weak. Hyuuga whose nerves had already been stretched thin due to everything that had happened had almost blown his top. But before he could punch that loudmouth brat—Tsugawa or something, Seiho's captain beat him to it by slapping Tsugawa across the cheek so hard that the entire court could actually hear the slap.

Seiho's vice captain had actually tried to do damage control—trying to apologise to an extremely pissed off Seirin. Obviously, they must have heard that Seirin had lost Tamaki to the SAO incident as well—most probably from Kiyoshi who had been an old friend of the Seiho seniors.

Iwamura, the captain of Seiho had actually turned up the next day at Seirin with Kasuga and Tsugawa in tow, actually making the Seiho freshman apologise to all of Seirin for his careless and cruel words. For even if he didn't know that a member of Seirin's team had been a victim of the SAO incident, any idiot with eyes and a brain to go with it could see that Seirin looked horrible, and doesn't look to be in a good enough mental state to compete in the tournament.

One week turned into two weeks. Two weeks turned into three weeks. Three weeks then turned into four weeks, five weeks, six weeks, until it became almost difficult to keep track of the days that simply flown by.

Seirin were regular visitors to the hospital, with Kagami turning up every single day until the nurse in charge of Tamaki even asked Kagami once if he is Tamaki's boyfriend which he had immediately denied—stating that Tamaki is more like his sister. Surprisingly, Shutoku had been regular visitors as well, though most of the time, they were there to visit Takao who was in an adjacent room to Tamaki's. Yuki-san came every night after she'd closed her restaurant for the day.

The members of the Generation of Miracles were frequent visitors as well.

But apart from Akashi who lives in Kyoto, and Murasakibara who lived in Akita—the others—Midorima, Kise and even Touou's manager, Momoi Satsuki came to visit every few days. Akashi turned up like clockwork every weekend, staying as late as he could until he had to depart for Kyoto on Sunday nights on the last train, often with a member of his team in tow—with it often being Mibuchi Reo.

Even Seiho often came to visit on the weekends after their match with Seirin when Iwamura had actually smacked Tsugawa across the face for his tactless words. Kagami had asked them once when he was visiting only for the vice-captain—Kasuga or something, stating that while they've never known Kuroko Tamaki personally, she is the only decent member out of that monster team that basketball players everywhere respected.

Then before Kagami even knew it, nearly eight months had passed since the SAO incident—with it nearly being an entire year ever since over 10,000 players were trapped in Sword Art Online.

The end of year examinations had stressed all of the Seirin basketball club out—Kagami especially as he isn't exactly gifted when it comes to the academics.

Tamaki had always been the one to help Kagami with his schoolwork—with the teal head being one of the more intelligent students of their year. Thus, seeing how much Kagami had struggled to prepare for his exams, the other freshmen had chipped in to help. The redhead honestly has no idea how he'd done, but he'd already done his best, and he had no regrets.

Much to Kagami's relief as the results were released, he had just managed to scrape through. Not something to be proud of, but at least he could move onto second year next year.

Two days before school had let out for the end of year holidays, Riko and Hyuuga have called for a basketball club meeting. Basketball practice in Seirin after the SAO incident have became so silent and dead. It isn't like Seirin didn't take it seriously. They did. It is just that none of them have the heart in it. Losing Tamaki seems almost like losing a part of their soul. It is almost strange now that they stop to think about it.

Tamaki is a first year—having just entered the club alongside Kagami and all the other freshmen earlier that year. And yet, when the usually quiet freshman had suddenly disappeared, the gym suddenly feels so silent. Even basketball practice seem so out of place all of a sudden.

What is the saying again? You never know what you've gotten until you've lost it.

"_As long as we play nice together, you don't care if we lose?" Kagami demanded. "There's no point if we don't win."_

"_There's no point if you win by yourself!" Tamaki told him sharply, and Kagami's eyes widened in shock. The rest of the team looked on with shock as well, as this is probably the first time that they have seen Tamaki getting angry with Kagami. And if this is her starting to get angry, then they have no wish to see her when she is truly pissed. "You make me sick. You said you wanted to beat the Generation of Miracles, yet the way that you are thinking is no different from them."_

"Kagami!"

Kagami gave a start as someone called his name, and he turned only to see his fellow freshmen in the basketball club making their way towards him in the hallway of the freshmen classrooms—neatly bypassing the other freshmen in the hallway.

"Hey."

"How did you do?" Furihata asked Kagami as the four then slowly start to make their way towards the gym where Riko and Hyuuga have called for a meeting after school that day. "The exams."

"Well, I passed." Kagami managed a weak smile. "I just barely scrapped through, but…" He gave a one shoulder shrug. "You know, now that Tamaki isn't here, it really sinks through just how much I rely on her. She is my anchor—there to rein me in and to make sure that I don't get too full of myself in basketball matches. She is always there to help with my training as well as to make sure that I don't train too hard. She is always there to help me with homework as well." He admitted. "Now that she isn't here, it's just…" He struggled with his words. "It just…feels so _lonely_ for some reason." He admitted.

The other three boys exchanged sad looks. "Yeah, you aren't the only one." Kawahara said at last. "Are you going to visit Tamaki again later?" He stated more than questioned, as every single person in the basketball club knew that as a fact for now. Rain or shine, no matter how tired Kagami is, he will always visit Tamaki every single day without fail. Hell, he had often helped Yuki-san out at her restaurant whenever she needed an extra pair of hands—especially since Tamaki could no longer help her.

"Yeah." Kagami nodded his head. He then glanced at his friends. "Do you want to come with me?" He asked.

Fukuda shook his head. "Sorry, I have to head to Yokohama after the meeting," he said apologetically, much to the surprise of his friends. "My mom got a call from my cousin's attending doctor last night. Yuuki's condition had worsened—and Dr. Kurahashi wants to talk to us about a possible piece of equipment that might help improve her condition."

The four freshmen fell silent. The SAO incident might be a horrible event that had struck all of Japan, and even Seirin. But in a way, that disaster had also brought the Seirin basketball club closer as a result—with all the members learning things about each other that they wouldn't have known before.

Fukuda had even revealed that he had a younger cousin on his mother's side of the family that had been terminally ill since early childhood due to a virus in her bloodstream—younger than them by about two years. And it is only recently when Yuuki's condition had worsened until she could no longer walk on her own. And to make matters worse, his cousin's parents and her twin had passed away just a few years prior, thus making Fukuda's family his cousin's only relatives. If it wasn't for the fact that Yuuki isn't up to making the journey to Tokyo, they would have arranged for Yuuki to be hospitalised in one of the Tokyo hospitals than in one of the hospitals right on the other side of Japan.

"I can't either. My mom wants me home after the meeting." Furihata said apologetically. "I got a childhood friend coming to stay. Both our families went way back, and she is coming to Tokyo to attend high school come next spring. Her mother wants to know if we can put Shino up—as she had to go into a hospital permanently soon due to poor health."

By this point in time, all four freshmen have arrived at the entrance of the gym, and they soon fell silent. Kagami who is at the fore of the group pushed the doors of the gym opened, and they entered only to see that they're the last arrivals, as all their seniors were already present, and sitting in a circle on the floor—leaving some room for the freshmen.

"You're late, freshmen!" Hyuuga barked, arms crossed over his chest. "Hurry up and take your places."

"You're in clutch mode again, Hyuuga." Izuki sighed even as the four freshmen took their places silently, sensing that this is going to be a serious meeting and not an end of the year club meeting like what some of the other clubs are holding.

For several moments, there is nothing but silence as Riko busy herself with arranging the papers and files in her hands—probably just an action to keep her hands busy. Finally, the coach looked up and looked from face to face. Hyuuga who is next to her patted her on her hand gently, giving her some support.

"This won't take very long, as I know some of you have important things to do after this." Riko said at last, looking from face to face, her gaze landing longer on Kagami as she said so. "And all of you probably know what this is about." She paused. "It has been a very rough year for all of us. What with the SAO incident and everything."

"All of us have been made to go to regular counselling sessions by the school when Sword Art Online had first became a death game." Hyuuga spoke up from next to her. "And I don't know about the rest of you, but well… It did help me." He admitted. "When we first got the phone call from Kawahara months ago, it…didn't seem real to me. At least not until we got to the hospital ourselves and saw Tamaki. And then what we'd heard from Dr. Midorima…" He trailed off slowly.

"I was angry at first." Izuki admitted, not looking at any of his teammates. "You know, when the game was first announced, and we found out that Tamaki had became a beta tester for that game, both Koganei and myself were so excited. We were probably the biggest gamers out of the entire team, and we loved hearing about Sword Art Online. Then when the game was first announced to be released on the shelves, and we couldn't get a copy but Tamaki could, we were so happy that she actually promised to loan us her copy. It…could have easily been us who are trapped in the game now, and not her."

"Izuki, you know that it's not your fault. Nor is it Koga's." Tsuchida interrupted. "None of us knew that this would happen in the first place. Before SAO had been announced to be a death game, none of us even imagined that a game could kill anyone. It is supposed to be harmless—a means for people to relax and unwind from a long day from school or work. No one imagined that this could happen."

"I don't want any of you blaming each other. We've already been through that." Riko cut in firmly, not wanting a repeat of the early days of the SAO incident when Seirin had nearly fallen apart, all of them blaming each other for their teammate's plight.

Akashi's harsh words had only added to that guilt. And even though Yuki-san had later told them that her son don't really mean any of it—only wanting to find someone to vent his anger and terror on, it didn't make that guilt any less. It isn't until all of them have gone for 'forced' counselling sessions sanctioned by the school that they are made to see by the school counsellor that none of it is their fault. The fault lies with the creator of SAO, and also the crazy bastard who had turned SAO into a death game.

"The performances at the basketball tournaments this year had been just terrible." Furihata said at last, fiddling with his fingers. "Some of the players from Shutoku, Seiho and even Touou have mentioned that even some of the major teams have made quite a poor showing this year at the tournaments. The SAO incident have affected them worse than we think."

"Honestly, if we hadn't gotten kicked out of the Inter High, we would probably have fared the same as well." Izuki admitted. "It isn't until we've lost Tamaki when I realised that…the team actually relied on her more than we think."

Kagami was silent for several moments before he spoke up for the first time since the meeting had begun. "…We still have next year," he said at last, looking from face to face, the familiar fire burning in his eyes that none of his teammates have seen ever since Tamaki was hospitalised. "If Tamaki couldn't do it, then I want to." He clenched his hands into fists on his knees. "I want to help her fulfil what she couldn't. I want to bring down the Generation of Miracles."

There were smiles exchanged between the rest of the team. Kiyoshi then laughed, slapping his knee. "Well said!" he said cheerfully. "By then, I'll be as good as new, since my surgery for my knee had been scheduled for next month. I'll be heading to Kyushu for it."

"The first years too. Your training regimes will be increased next year." Riko told them, much to the horror of Furihata, Fukuda and Kawahara. "We're going to be training you to take over for us once we graduate."

"Next year is our chance." Izuki grinned. "Let's win the championship trophy—both Inter High and the Winter Cup, and bring it to Tamaki!"

**XXXXXX**

"I'm home." Furihata called out the moment he'd arrived home, removing his shoes and placing it into the shoe rack. He smiled as he caught sight of an unfamiliar pair of blue and white sneakers. "Is Shino here?" He asked excitedly even as he ran into the kitchen where his mother is preparing some snacks.

A girl maybe a year or so younger than Furihata is sitting at the kitchen table, dressed in a simple long sleeved black and white striped shirt and black shorts with black leggings. She has thin black hair tied in small ribbons by the side of her face, with the back cut short. A pair of half-rimmed glasses with oval shaped lenses rested on the bridge of her nose.

Asada Shino smiled and stood up, bowing slightly to Furihata. "Kouki," she greeted, a smile on her face. "It's been awhile."

"Don't be so formal." Furihata reprimanded before grinning. He then grew serious. "How's your mom?"

"Kouki, take Shino up to the room that we've prepared for her." Furihata's mother told her son, turning around from where she is preparing some croquettes. "You can help her unpack. She's going to be staying with us as she attends high school."

"Right." Furihata nodded before he took hold of Shino's hand—holding her by the wrist gently and tugging her after him, and out of the kitchen before heading up the stairs that would take them to the second level of the Furihata residence where the bedrooms are. "I heard from my mother last night that you would be coming today." He told Shino even as they arrived at the door of the room next to Furihata. "Which high school will you be attending, Shino?"

"Well, I was thinking of applying to Seirin actually." Shino murmured, a light blush on her face even as she followed Furihata into what is going to be her room from now on.

The room had already been fully furnished, and it is obvious that both Furihata and his mother had made it to make Shino feel more welcomed as there is a bright atmosphere in the room—with light blue curtains at the windows. There is even a study desk at the window, with several of Shino's favourite books in the bookshelf next to it. The bed was pressed against the side of the wall, with cream and beige coverings. There is even a dark brown and red carpet on the floor—beneath the low coffee table in the middle of the room.

For several moments, Shino smiled as she looked around the room. It is obvious that Furihata had a major hand in decorating the room, as most of the things in the room are of her taste, and what she would get for herself as well.

"Do you like it?" Furihata asked her nervously. "I went out with Mom to get the things for your room yesterday when we got the call from Aunt Yumi. Mom told me that Aunt Yumi said that she can no longer ignore her own health, and have to go into the hospital on a more permanent basis."

"That's right." Shino nodded. "She will be fine." She said bravely. "It's been a long time coming. Mom has always been in poor health. Now that she know that I'll be with you and your family, she won't be that worried about me, and can seek out the treatment that she needs for years."

Furihata smiled to himself as he studied his childhood friend. Shino had always been quiet and meek, preferring to read more than anything else. That is why they've always gotten along so well, especially after her father had passed away when she was young. After that bank robbery incident when Shino was in elementary school, having killed the robber with his own gun by mistake, Shino was completely traumatised by it, and Aunt Yumi had even sent her daughter to the Furihatas to stay for a month, hoping that Kouki could help her to heal.

"I heard from Auntie about it." Shino said suddenly, turning towards Furihata, looking serious. "She told me that one of your friends from school is an SAO victim?"

The smile on Furihata's face slipped off, and he nodded. "Honestly, it still didn't really seem real to me," he admitted, making a show of arranging the books on Shino's desk even as the younger girl unpacked her luggage, handing Furihata the books that would go on the desk. "My basketball team nearly went to pieces after Sword Art Online was first announced to be a death game. To be honest however, I think that it affects Kagami even more. Tamaki and Kagami _are_ best friends." He admitted, staring out of the window even as Shino unpacked her clothes into the wardrobe. "But I can understand his feelings. The feelings of anxiety… Not knowing if Tamaki's name will be the next to appear on the list of casualties…"

Shino didn't know what to say. She knew from Kouki's mother that he isn't exactly taking it too well that one of his teammates had been an SAO victim. Hell, the _entire team_ was affected to the point that their performances—both academic and sports have dropped drastically.

"She'll be fine, I'm sure of it." Shino said, placing a hand on Furihata's shoulder even as he continued looking out of the window.

Furihata turned around, managing a weak smile at Shino. "All that we can do is to believe," he said at last in a croaked voice. "Waiting…is really the hardest thing to do—the hardest time in one's life."

**XXXXXX**

"School will be letting out in two days for the end of year holidays, Tamaki." Kagami said softly, talking to the motionless body on the hospital bed the way that he always does whenever he came to visit his best friend—just telling her about mundane things and how his day had gone. "The results for our examinations were released today. I managed to scrape through—I just managed to get into second year."

Kagami smiled weakly at the motionless Tamaki, trying not to cringe as he saw how thin and pale and how sickly that she looks lying on the bed, her head beneath the NerveGear. "We would be trying once more next year," he promised. "We'll bring down the Generation of Miracles for you." He fingered the ends of Tamaki's ice blue hair—her hair had reached to her hips by now. "You're fighting over there too, right?" He asked, knowing that he would never get an answer. "I know you. You're not one to give up. Not like this." Kagami's voice shook. "…Come back to us, Tamaki." He almost pleaded. "Everyone's waiting for you. We need you back. More than ever."

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><p>Months soon turned into a year even as the snow melted, and spring had came once more—bringing the cherry blossoms with it, and also the start of a new school year. And then one day, Kagami was stricken to realise that he had gotten used to Tamaki not being around.<p>

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><p><em>AN: So yeah, you might be surprised at Sinon's (Shino) appearance in this chapter—way before the GGO arc had even begun. I'm playing with the idea of having a Furihata/Shino pairing in this story, as I don't believe I've ever seen Furihata paired with someone that is __**not**__ Akashi! I'm still on the fence about Aomine, as I'm not feeling all that fond of him recently._

_Also, have you heard? Season 3 of the KnB anime will be airing on Jan 10 next year! Yay! I can't wait to see the game against Rakuzan in anime! Also, about my Nighthunter series, if you guys really want me to come out with a multi-chapter story as a continuation for Nighthunter: Last Words, I'll appreciate some ideas! Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter, and please read and review! Reviews give me inspiration to update!_


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